


Untold Stories Collection

by TigerUnknown



Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: A Little Bit Of Milo And His Friends, Balthazar Cavendish - Freeform, Cavendish and Dakota, Dakota - Freeform, Deaths, M/M, Mostly Cavendish and Dakota, One-shot stories that sometimes reference each other, Savannah - Freeform, Short Stories, Vinnie Dakota - Freeform, brick - Freeform, cavendish - Freeform, dying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 00:47:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 58
Words: 96,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16398236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerUnknown/pseuds/TigerUnknown
Summary: Just a collection of Cavendish and Dakota stories. Every chapter is a different story. Which means, if you don't like the plot a chapter, move onto the next.





	1. Near Death Experience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recently paired together, Cavendish and Dakota get something to eat at a restaurant to get to know each other better.

They're at a restaurant, looking at their menus. Cavendish and Dakota were recently paired together. Neither of them knew each other very well. When they failed their mission, Dakota suggested getting something to eat.

"What are you ordering?" Cavendish asked.

Dakota didn't look away from his menu, "I'm gonna go for the lasagna, what about you?"

"I'm uncertain."

"Mhmm."

The waiter walked over to their table. "Are you two ready to order yet?"

Balthazar was about to dismiss the waiter and ask for more time but Dakota spoke up, "I'll get the lasagna and he'll have dumplings."

The waiter wrote down their order, "Sounds good," the waiter took their menus and left, "Coming right up!"

Cavendish became a bit annoyed, "Dakota," he scolded.

"What?"

"That was rude."

"Huh?" Dakota looked around, "What? What did I do?"

"You ordered for me."

"Soooo...?"

Cavendish crossed his arms, "I told you was uncertain about what I wanted to eat. You didn't need to pick something for me."

"What? I thought you said you wanted dumplin-? Wait." That's when Dakota realized he messed up. Cavendish was supposed to spend five more minutes wondering about what he was going to eat before he decided to order dumplings. He messed up. "Oh... Sorry."

Cavendish lowered his shoulders and calmed down, "It's alright. Dumplings do sound nice, but I'm not encouraging this behavior. I am fully capable of choosing and ordering my own food."

"Yeah, I know, super sorry." He should be more careful. Making small mistakes like this will blow his cover. After all, Cavendish seemed like a smart person. He's going to figure out something is wrong. Being really tired is no excuse to make stupid mistakes like this.

"It has been a while since I had bumping, not since-"

"Yeah I know."

"Pardon?"

"Hm?"

"What do you mean 'yeah I know'. I don't recall telling you."

On no, he messed up again, "Oh, uh..." He was defiantly having an off day.

"Are you even listening to me? I'm trying to have a conversation. I know we're co-works, but we can talk to each other about something other than work. I figured that since we're having dinner together, we may as well attempt to get to know each other better. However, obviously, you aren't interested in that. All you want is to eat something and get me to pay for it."

That kind of stung, "S-sorry."

"It's fine. If you don't want to have a conversation, just say so," then, Cavendish took out his phone and focused all his attention on it.

Dakota rested his head on his hand. He messed up again. If he was in some sort of game, there would be minus friendship points above Cavendish's head. Maybe he can just go back in time again and fix this conversation? Because why not? Cavendish just keeps dying. At first, Dakota thought it was a one-time thing. But it just keeps happening.

Cavendish's last death was the most unlikely death he ever had. He tripped on a 'Caution: Wet Floor Sign' and when he tried to get his balance back, he slipped on some water on the floor. Which resulted in him falling into a bucket that was filled with water. He was completely soaked. Which was funny up until when he got up. He knocked over a lamp that fell and broke on the ground which electrocuted.

That happened on their way out of the restaurant. In a different timeline of course. This time, Dakota's going to convince Cavendish to leave out the other door. Simple as that.

The waiter came back and brought their meals.

Cavendish put away his phone, "Thank you!"

"Yeah," Dakota looked at his lasagna, "Thanks." He already had a meal, but he was a stress eater after all.

"You two enjoy your meal!" And with that, the waiter left again.

They enjoyed their meals in silents up until Cavendish grunted then started coughing. Dakota wasn't concerned at first, but when Cavendish started hitting his chest, that's when he knew something was wrong.

He was choking.

"Cavendish!" Dakota shouted in surprise. Panic went through him, but as soon as it came, it went away. Cavendish was choking. He's dying again. He's going to need to go back in time again.

At least he can redo that conversation.

Cavendish continued to pound at his chest while Dakota watched. He gave a pleading look towards, but seeing this, Dakota looked away.

Vinnie didn't want to watch him die.

A flash of betrayal washed across Cavendish's face. It was clear to him that Dakota wasn't going to help. He pushed himself off the chair and tried to get someone else's attention.

That's when the waiter that served them earlier saw what was happening. He dropped his dishes and ran over to help Cavendish. Without hesitation, he gave Cavendish the Heimlich maneuver. He gave three powerful pressure to his abdomen before Cavendish coughed up the food that was stuck in his throat.

The waiter let go of him, "Good heavens!" Cavendish placed his hand on his chest.

The rest of the restaurant began to cheer.

Cavendish managed to calm himself down. He turned around to look at the waiter. "Thank you! I owe you my life!"

"Ah, don't worry about it," the waiter smirked. Clearly, he's enjoying the praise that came his way.

Cavendish is alive. He survived. That blew Dakota's mind.

Cavendish hugged the waiter. Then the guy left to go clean up the dishes he dropped.

Cavendish sat back down and drank some water.

"Woah man... How ya feeling?"

Cavendish huffed and looked away, "I'm feeling fortunate that our waiter helped me. If it wasn't for him, you'd probably would have simply watched me die. Though, perhaps that was your intentions. Then you would have gotten a new partner that, maybe, you would appreciate more than me."

Dakota silently gasped. That made him feel a mix of emotions. Mad, annoyed, frustrated, hurt, sad, and even jealousy. Cavendish never thanked him for saving his life. That's because he didn't know. But here he was, looking up to and praising a stranger. And now Cavendish looked like he was even more angry at him.

There goes some more friendship points.

Cavendish shook his head, "My apologies. That was really rude. There is no legal requirement for you to help me. I'm not entitled or deserving of your assistance..." Cavendish poked at what's left of his food with his chopsticks. The whole choking incident made him completely lose his appetite.

That just made Dakota feel worse.

"I'm not hungry anymore," Cavendish waved to a different waiter to ask for the bill. He paid for his side of the meal and even left an extra a twenty with a thank you note when the got the bill. Cavendish knew that his life wasn't worth a measly twenty dollars, but it was all the extra cash for this time period that he had on him.

The trip back to the future was uneventful. After all. they were simply having a meal because they were hungry and they finished their mission. Well, technically, it was after they failed their mission. Cavendish did thought it could have been a good opportunity to get to know his new partner better, which he did. He realized that Dakota didn't care about him. They were just co-workers.

The only reason why Dakota was spending time with him, was because he was forced to. Not because he wanted to.


	2. Conspiracy Theorist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish spies on his counteragent.

"Alright, I need to go to the can, are ya gonna be fine on your own?" Dakota asked.

They are protecting a pistachio stand. "Of course I will."

"Alright, suit yourself." Dakota smiled, "Get it? Cause you're wearing a suit."

Cavendish frowned, "Just go!"

"Okay okay."

"That was a terrible joke and you know it!" Cavendish shouted towards Dakota's direction while he's leaving.

Cavendish huffed and crossed his arms. He hated everything about this. These pistachio missions are killing him. Figuratively of course. And they felt so pointless. Even if they did manage to save pistachios, that won't save the world. The future is doing just fine without it.

"How much for a bag?" A random guy approached him.

With a smile, Cavendish filled up a bag as fast as he can. While spilling some, he handed it to the guy. "It's free."

"Really? Thanks," the guy left with a smile on his face.

As soon as the guy is out of sight, Cavendish's fake smile disappeared. "Ugh..." he pouted.

He is bored out of his mind until... His eyes light up. Their rival is nearby. Most likely scouting the area before sabotaging their mission.

Cavendish has to investigate it.

He left the stand and approach the secret agent. Before he could be spotted, he hid in a bush.

"So, what do you guys wanna watch?" Milo asked Zack and Melissa.

"Does it matter? Whatever we pick, Murphy's law's not gonna let us watch it." Zack pointed out.

Melissa smiled, "Let's watch The Man With Buttons For Eyes. It's about a guy with buttons for eyes and his internal struggle to fit into society."

"Hmmm," Cavendish mumbled to himself, "They're talking about movies? Wait, perhaps those are code words. 'Whatever we pick, Murphy's law's not gonna let us'. Perhaps Murphy's law could be referring to him and the movie is the pistachio cart and the movie they pick is the strategy that they are going with to destroy the pistachio cart!" Cavendish covered his mouth, he's being too loud. He had to take a moment to calm himself down. "I have a code name," he gave a sly smirk, "Murphy's Law." That does kind of suit him. Something always tends to go wrong while he's on a mission. "But, who is the man with buttons for eyes?"

"Woof!"

And now there is a dog next to him. "Shoo," Cavendish whispered.

"Woof!" The dog got closer to him and nudged him.

Cavendish frowned. This dog is going to blow his cover!

"Diogee?" Milo called out, "Here boy! Where is he?"

Cavendish looked at the dog. It's wagging its tail and looking back at him.

"Wo-" The dog was going to bark again, but Cavendish covers its mouth. As a result, the dog started licking Cavendish's hand.

"Ucccckkk." Cavendish pulled his hand away, "Shoo!"

"Diogee?"

Milo looked into the bush only to find his dog and the pistachio guy, "Oh hey! You found my dog!"

"Isn't that the guy that's usually around pistachios?" Zack asked.

Cavendish stood up, "Ah ha! I've decoded your secret codes! You are underestimating your opponent!"

Melissa gave him a weird look, "What?"

"I am the Murphy's Law you speak of!"

"Uh, no your not," Zack pointed at Milo, "He is."

"Hi! I'm Milo Murphy! Nice to meet ya!" Milo raised his hand up to shake Cavendish's hand, but Cavendish didn't. Milo took his other hand and shook his own hand. "What's your name?"

"As if I would allow you to have such private information!"

"Okay Milo," Melissa put her hand on his shoulder, "I know you like to be nice to people but this guy seems a bit, ya know." Melissa swirled her finger around her ear.

"Yeah, he was hiding in a bush with your dog, normal people don't do that," Zack added.

Cavendish looked at all three of them, "Are you suggesting that I'm mad as a hatter?"

"Cavendish? Why are you yelling at kids?" Dakota approached them.

Milo beamed, "Oh hi there!"

Cavendish smiled sheepishly. He walked over to Dakota to pull him away from the secret agents.

"Hey, isn't that the kid-" Dakota started but Cavendish interrupted.

"I wasn't yelling at children. They are undercover agents! And why did you use my last name? What if they try to steal my identity. We need code names. I am Murphy's Law and you're Snack Hound."

"Woah there sailor, did you hit your head?"

"Er... No?"

"They're just kids, now, what happened to the pistachio stand?"

Cavendish went pale, "W-w-what do you mean?"

"The pistachio stand is gone?" Dakota pointed at where the cart should but, it is not there anymore.

"Blast! They distracted me while the man with buttons for eyes stole it."

"Cavendish, okay, seriously, when was the last time you slept?"

"Dakota, you think I'm a loon, do you?"

"When you're coming up with weird conspiracies, yes."

Cavendish felt defeated, "Ehhh, I have to admit, I haven't been sleeping well."

"Alright buddy, let's report back," Dakota patted Cavendish on the back.

Cavendish pouted. "Oh alright..."


	3. Rejected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish finds something he wasn't supposed to.

Another long day at work. Dakota clocked out half an hour ago but Cavendish wanted to make sure all the paperwork was done correctly. He did actually enjoy it because it's quiet. No one else around to make silly cheesy jokes.

It wasn't that eventful until...

Fuudomm! Their locket made a sound indicated that they've received mail.

Cavendish got up to check the locker. There's an envelope with a big red "rejected" stamp on it. It didn't have a name on it and Cavendish didn't remember sending anything that required to be accepted or denied.

But, it could be something that required immediate attention.

He opened the envelope and read it, "We regret to inform you that your request to exchange partners has been rejected due to you, yourself, being unable to maintain a partner."

...

He didn't request to change partners. Which only means one other person could have done it.

Dakota.

The request form that Dakota filled out is stapled to the back of the rejection letter. Cavendish didn't dare to look at it. This envelope wasn't for him. It wasn't for his eyes to look at.

But it hurt. 

Dakota didn't say anything about wanting to replace him. Everything seemed fine. So what went wrong?

Sure, sometimes he was rude and blamed Dakota when something goes wrong. He wasn't the perfect partner, but he isn't that bad. Is he?

Cavendish did pass the time travel written exam with flying colors, but he failed the field test miserably. Lowest in his class. The only reason why he still passed was because of how well he did on the written exam.

That could be why they seem to always fail their missions.

It's his fault.

But now Dakota is stuck with him. Stuck with a bad partner. Stuck with someone he doesn't like.

A part of him wanted to read what was written on the partner replacement sheet, so that he can at least actually know what he's been doing wrong.

But he's not supposed to know about this. Instead. He put the letter back in the envelope and back into the locker.

He'll simply let Dakota find it in the morning and avoid a conflict. It would probably be better that way.

Now, he felt 'bleh'. All he wanted to do is go home. He wasn't done double-checking their paperwork but he didn't care anymore. He submitted it and went home.


	4. ...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dakota breaks into Cavendish's apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Kind of a depressing fanfic. Continue if you don't mind that kind of stuff.

Dakota climbs through a window. The room is completely dark. Because there are no lights on, it is hard to see. As he made his way through the window, he knocked over a vase. Luckily, before it hit the floor, he caught it. When he's in the room, he put the vase back down and closed the window.

He's never been in this room so he had to guess where things where.

He stubbed his toe against a table and almost tripped over a Roomba on the ground. Dakota made it to the door where he found a light switch. Turning it on, he got a clear view of the apartment. It is a really small apartment and a bit rundown. The kitchen is attached to the living room and there are only two other rooms. One must be the bathroom and the other one is probably the bedroom.

To be honest, Dakota didn't know what to expect. He's never been in Cavendish's apartment before. They are coworkers. They didn't really hang out together after work. He didn't even know where Cavendish lived. Dakota had to go through the Bureau of Time Travel's records to find out where he lives.

The apartment is kind of empty and just... Wasn't what he expected. It isn't super clean or fancy, but it isn't messy either. All the furniture looked old and cheap. His tv isn't even a hologram. It looks like it's over a hundred years old. Something that would be more common around the year 2010. A part of him felt like he isn't in the right apartment, but when he found a picture frame, that confirmed that he is indeed in the right apartment. It looked like a picture of when Cavendish was in college. He was surrounded by people he didn't recognize. Cavendish looked exactly like what he looked like when they first met. Blond hair and no mustache. But instead of wearing his future outfit. He's wearing a lab coat, like everyone else in the picture.

But Dakota wasn't here to snoop around. He put the picture frame back in its place and went for the first door on his left. He opened the door. It's Cavendish's bedroom. Dakota got a sinking feeling. The room has a cheap dresser and a mattress on the ground. He couldn't help but feel bad. His apartment isn't as bad as this. Sure, his apartment is messy, but it's way better than this. Dakota closed the door and moved onto the other room.

The next room is the bathroom. It is really small. Maybe a little bigger than a bathroom in an RV. The mirror on the cabinet is broken. It looked like something hit it, but Dakota guessed that it was probably an accident.

He opened the cabinet. It's mostly empty. It has some bandages, cough medicine, rubbing alcohol, aspirin, and sleeping pills.

Sleeping pills.

Dakota grabbed the bottle. It's almost full. That made him tear up. The doctors said that it was an overdose and it was most likely a suicide, but he refused to believe it. They didn't tell him how many pills Cavendish took, but he knew that the police found an empty bottle of sleeping pills.

If it was almost full, but the police found it completely empty... Dakota shook his head. "Cavendish would never..." he said under his breath. Sure, they constantly failed their missions, their boss always yelled at them, and everything seems to go wrong all the time, but it isn't that bad.

It is true that Dakota didn't really know Cavendish. He did know that he can be stubborn, clumsy, a little bit paranoid, oblivious, catlike, a know-it-all, and recently he noticed that he can be a bit insecure, but he didn't know anything about his past or his family.

Their last mission was pretty bad. Their time machine wouldn't start. Cavendish got oil all over his suit trying to fix it. They had to load crates of pistachios onto a truck. On the way to point A to point B, they got into a small car accident and the driver of the other car yelled at Cavendish for half an hour. They finally got back on the road and after a few hours, because of a traffic jam, they were finally at their destination. He got yelled at again for being late, and before they got a chance to unload the truck, they forgot to put the emergency brake on and the truck rolled away right off a cliff. Another failed mission, but because they forgot to get more money from before the year 2000, they didn't have any usable cash. No truck and no cash. They had to walk all the way back to town. They tried to hitchhike, but the first car to pick them up, robbed them. After that, Cavendish was freaking out. Not only did they fail their mission, cause a car accident, but now someone stole money that hasn't been created yet. Usually, by now, Cavendish would be complaining, but he was oddly silent. Dakota tried making jokes to lighten the mood. He even tried really bad 'dad jokes' to try to annoy him, but Cavendish stayed quiet. He didn't look mad, sad, or defeated, he just had a blank expression. After several hours, they finally got back to their time machine and of course, after they got back to their office, they got yelled at by Block.

Dakota refused to believe that Cavendish would overdose on purpose, even after such a terrible mission. Mainly because he couldn't imagine him actually doing that. He didn't even leave anything. No suicide note or a goodbye letter. His body was found three days later when he didn't show up to work on Monday and his neighbour complained about a bad smell coming from his apartment.

Dakota thought that maybe he could just take away the sleeping pills and everything would be fine. Now, he isn't sure.

He left Cavendish's apartment with the sleeping pills. Taking the sleeping pills isn't enough, he had to make sure to talk to him.

When he got back to his own apartment, he waited for his past-self. He did his thing and sent him to the island, after that, he called Cavendish when he knew he should be home. They talked for a long time. Not about what happened, just random normal talk. They talked as if they were friends, not just co-workers. Before the call ended, Dakota asked if Cavendish wanted to get coffee tomorrow.

He said yes.


	5. Regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuck in a ravine with no way out, there's nothing better to do than yell at each other.

Cavendish has his back hunched and his shoulders lower. The pole that was provided to him to check the snow was too short. It was killing his back.

They're climbing a snow-covered mountain. Of course, Cavendish is because cautious, however, Dakota wasn't.

Dakota's ahead of him. "Come on slowpoke!"

"Dakota, it is dangerous to run off like that. You need to check for crevasse before you trek across the land like that!"

"If we have to poke the snow before taking a step, this is gonna to take foreverrrrrr."

"Better safe than sorry."

Dakota looked out at the landscape, "I don't see any ditches for miles. This place is completely flat."

Cavendish frowned, "Crevasse can be hidden by snow."

Dakota has to wait for Cavendish to catch up, "I already walked through there, it's safe."

Cavendish glared at him before continuing to check if the ground was safe before taking a step.

"We're going to be here all day!"

Cavendish ignored him.

"It's too cold outside, I just want to get this over with."

Cavendish continued to ignore him.

Seeing his partner ignore him, he frowned, "Whatever," Vinnie turned around and started walking, making way more ground than Cavendish. They're tied together for safety, so it didn't take long for Dakota to reach the end of the rope. He waited again for Cavendish. After getting a bit annoyed, he took a few steps back before tugging at the rope, "Hurry uuuuuuppp."

Cavendish didn't expect the sudden tug. It resulted in him almost falling over, "DAKOTA!" he shouted.

"You're goin' too slooooowww."

Balthazar growled, although he was too far away for Dakota to hear him.

"Ugh..." Dakota waited a minute before taking some more steps forward. Suddenly, he took another step but his foot didn't land on anything. "WOAH!"

The snow around him suddenly collapsed, taking Dakota with it.

Cavendish watched in shock, then he looked down at his outfit where Dakota and himself are attached. He had the opportunity to unhook him, but he didn't. He grabbed two ice axes from his belt.

Before he had the chance to hook himself to the ground, he got launched towards Dakota's direction. As he got dragged along the snow, he tried to use his ice axes to stop him. He almost fell into the ravine when he managed to stop himself.

Dakota came to a sudden stop. hovering above the bottom of the chasm.

"Wow, that was close! How ya doing up there Cav?" Abruptly, Vinnie fell to the bottom of the cave. This time, he only fell about six-feet. "Ooof." Dakota looked up, "Cav?"

He watched as Cavendish fell to the bottom of the ravine with a loud THUD.

"Cavendish!" Dakota got up and ran towards where Cavendish fell. He kneeled down beside him. "Cavendish?"

"Cavendish coughed.

"You're still alive!" Dakota celebrated.

"I told you to be more careful," Cavendish growled.

A wave of guilt flew through Dakota, "Yeah... Sorry..."

"You better be, do you see a way out?"

Dakota looked around. The only way out seemed to be climbing out. "The only way out is up."

"Do you think you can climb out?"

Dakota looked up, holding up his hand above his forehead to block out the sun, "It's kinda steep."

"Can you get a signal from here?"

Dakota took out his communicator, "Nope."

Cavendish exhaled, "Oh dear..."

Dakota looked over at Cavendish, "Aren't you good at rock climbing?"

"I... I think the impact might have broken my leg," Cavendish tried to sit up, but groaned in pain and laid back down.

"Cav!"

That's when Cavendish started to be aware of how much pain he's in, "Oooh, my back....." The adrenaline is already starting to fade.

"Don't worry Cav, just stay put. I'll get us out."

Cavendish growled, "Stop calling me that."

"Huh?"

"Cav...." Cavendish said in a high-pitched mocking way, "It's Cavendish."

"You're name is a bit of a mouthful."

"Could you take this situation more seriously?! This is all your fault!"

Dakota flinched, "Yeah I know! Just! Sorry! I was stupid!" To be honest, Dakota knew something would go wrong. But, he thought that if something did end up going wrong, his future-self would warn him. Since that didn't happen, he was more frivolous.

Which means this is the first timeline. If things go down hill, he'll have to be the one to go through all of this to warn his past-self about it.

At least, in that case, that means he gets to stay with Cavendish.

"I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"Nononono, we'll get out of here." Looking around, it looked like there was no way out.

"How?"

"I'll figure it out." Dakota started to climb the wall. He got about two feet off the ground before losing his grip. Ending up exactly where he started.

"Don't get yourself hurt. In a couple of hours, Mr. Block will probably notice our absences and send agents to investigate."

Dakota looked at Cavendish, "Would you be fine in a couple of hours?"

Cavendish hesitated, "Yes."

"But you said you broke your leg."

"I said I think I broke my leg."

"Let's see," Dakota bent down and put his hands on Cavendish.

"Don't touch me!" Cavendish shouted.

Dakota jumped back, "Did I hurt you? Did that hurt?"

"No! I don't want you to touch me!"

"I just want to see how bad your injuries are."

"I'm fine. Besides, looking at my injuries won't change anything, you're not a physician."

"Yeah, but, it's better than doing nothing!"

"You know what's better than doing nothing or looking at my injuries? Finding a way out!" Cavendish shouted.

"The walls are too high and the communicator isn't getting a signal. What else do you want me to do?"

"Maybe, just maybe, if you could have been more prudent, we wouldn't have been in this situation!"

"Oh! You think you're so smart because you use big words!" Dakota shouted back, "Prudent!" he said in a mocking voice, "Just use the word careful!"

"It's not my fault I was paired with an imbecile! Do you know what an imbecile is?"

"GUUUUUHHHH! You don't know what I'm going through!"

"Honestly I don't! I'm the one with a possible broken leg and, possibly, also a broken spine!"

"Why do I do this?! You're always mean to me! You always blame everything on me! Sometimes it is my fault, but not all the time!" Dakota shouted, but not really at Cavendish, more to himself.

"Well, in this situation, it was your fault."

"I'm not gonna do this anymore," Dakota sat down on the ground and covered his head.

All this yelling is giving Cavendish a huge headache. That isn't what he needs right now. He told himself that this isn't the time for arguing. He sighed, "My apologies, I let my temper get the better of me." Cavendish groaned in pain, "Just, find a way out."

"There's no point, you're going to die. Even if I find a way out."

"I'm not going to die."

"Yes you are, you die all the time. You just won't stop dying and I don't know what to do anymore."

Cavendish gave him a confused look, "What do you mean by that?"

"You die, then I go back in time to save you but then there's two of me," Dakota explained.

Cavendish eye's widen, "What? Why? How? When? What?"

"There's like over twenty versions of mes now. And I don't know what to do."

"Why would you do that?! That's breaking the number one rule of time travel! You're not supposed to do that! Bad Dakota!" Cavendish wasn't really sure how to soak up this new information.

"I didn't know what else to do! I didn't want you to die! I don't want to get fired! But I'm going to stop! I'm not doing this anymore!"

"Good!"

"What?! No! Not good!

"Stop now before Mr. Block finds out!"

Dakota huffed, "But... Don't you want to live?"

Cavendish didn't answer.

"Cavendish! Don't you want to live?" Dakota repeated.

"If Block finds out about this you'll be in so much trouble."

"He won't."

"And how do you know for sure?"

"Because!" Dakota stopped, "Okay... I'm not sure. But he still doesn't know about it yet. So I'm doing something right."

"If I'm going to die, just end me now. I don't want a long-draw-out death."

"What?! I-I I can't do that!"

Cavendish frowned, "I guess you would rather see me suffer?"

"No... I hate seeing this..." Dakota's voice started to sound shaky.

Cavendish avoided eye contact, "Why would you do that? Go back in time to save me?"

"I don't know. Sometimes you're nice but sometimes you're not. I guess it's because you're the only person who didn't try to replace me right away."

"Replace you? Pffff... At least I was willing to give you a chance." Cavendish scowled, "I know you tried to replace me."

Dakota's stomach sank, "You... You know about that?" Dakota shook his head and tried to explain himself, "I thought maybe I wasn't a good enough partner and you needed someone better than me. Someone who can actually protect you."

Cavendish threw his hands in the air, "That's a completely ridiculous reason to try to replace me! That's a 'it's not you, it's me' excuse!" All this movement reminded Cavendish about the pain he is in so he lowered his arms and tried to calm himself down. "I thought you despised me. Finding out that you wanted to replace me behind my back without even confronting me about it... That hurt. That hurt a lot."

"Oh no... Sorry! Super sorry! I swear it's because I thought you deserved someone better than me!"

Cavendish started to feel woozy, "You're forgiven. However, don't do something foolish like that without consulting me about it first."

Dakota nodded, "Okay."

"Sorry for being so rude lately. I was taking some of my anger out on you. I shouldn't have done that. That was immature of me."

Dakota looked at Cavendish. He saw some blood pooling up underneath his partner. "Cavendish! You're bleeding!" Dakota kneeled down next to him.

Cavendish attempted to look at it, but even moving his head made his spine hurt. "Mmhm, I am starting to feel the effects of blood loss."

"Maybe I can help? What do you want me to do?"

Cavendish chucked, "End my misery?"

"Cavendish! Maybe if I looked at your injuries I can stop the bleeding?" Dakota pointed at his possibly broken leg.

"I'd rather die with my pants on, to be honest."

Dakota didn't expect him to say that, "Uhhh..."

"Please leave me be."

Dakota sighed in defeat, "Oookay..."

They both went quiet. Unsure of what else to say. Dakota stood up again to check for a signal, but again, nothing.

Dakota decided to break the silence, "I don't know what to do. This never happened before. Usually, you die quickly."

Cavendish huffed.

"Do you have any last words or something?"

"Do you mean regrets?"

Dakota shrugged, "I guess."

"I shouldn't have become a time traveller."

"Oh..." Dakota sighed, "Well, if you weren't a time traveller, what you'd you be?"

"Maybe I could have been a pianist."

Dakota chuckled, "You're joking right?" seeing Cavendish's reaction made him realize that he was not joking.

"Nevermind."

"Nonononono! I didn't know you played piano. Are you really good at it? If you were thinking of being a pianist, you're probably really good at it."

"I was the best where I'm from."

"Cool, you should show me one day."

"Ha... I haven't played in a long time... Perhaps I should have never left my hometown."

Dakota looked at his partner, "Why'd ya leave?"

"I wanted to find my place in society," Cavendish coughed, "Since then, I studied time travel for twenty cycles. I wanted to save the world. Go down in history. That's twenty years I'll never get back."

"So, what ya saying is that your biggest regret was to become a time traveller?"

Cavendish nodded, "I believed that if I became a time traveller, I could save the world... What a ludicrous thought."

Dakota looked down, "I think you can save the world."

"Ha!"

"No really! If Block actually gave you world-saving missions, you'd be the best!"

"Don't flatter me."

"Come on! I can totally see you becoming a first-class agent!"

"No... That'll never happen."

"Block would have to admit to you he was wrong about you!"

Cavendish rolled his eyes, "Dakota... Don't be delusional."

"Seriously!"

Cavendish felt the sudden wave of nausea "OOooofff...."

Dakota stopped his 'motivational' speech, "Cavendish?"

"I'm really not feeling well..."

Dakota checked his communicator one more time for a signal. Nothing. "Aw man, you're gonna die, aren't you?"

"Perhaps..."

"Don't worry, I'll go back in time to fix this... The only problem is there's starting to be too many of me."

"You don't have to."

"I know I don't. Maybe I can gather all of them up and put them somewhere else, away from everything. Like... Like on an island or something."

"You have to stop that, you'll be in so much trouble..."

"No! No..."

"I won't allow this to continue... I don't want you to get into so much trouble because of me..."

Dakota shrugged, "Ha... Then, I guess you don't need to know about this... After all, I've been keepin' it a secret for all this time so far, why stop now?"

"Mmhhm..." Cavendish's eyelids felt really heavy. He didn't really fight it. Letting darkness take over his vision.

"Cav?"

...

Dakota sighed. This was going to be a long day.


	6. Unprofessional

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you're not in the right mindset, sometimes you say things you don't mean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This is probably the only fanfic that I'd have characters swearing. The reason why I don't like having character swear is because it seems so out of character since they don't swear in the show, but I had fun writing this one. So if you don't like swearing, move along.

"Cavendish! Can you hear me? Talk to me!" Vinnie shouted.

They're transporting pistachios on a boat. Cavendish managed to fall overboard. Dakota dived in after him and was able to get him back onto the boat. The only problem is, he might be too late.

"Oh nonononono," Dakota checked for a pulse. Cavendish has a pulse, but he wasn't breathing. Dakota was in no mood to go back in time to save him. They are on a boat. In the middle of nowhere. It is going to take two more days to get to their destination. Which means it'll take much longer to fix this.

The only thing he can think of doing is C.P.R., but he wasn't sure how to do it properly.

Vinnie put both of his hands on Cavendish's chest and started to push up and down.

"Come oooon!"

But nothing.

He stopped for a moment to check Cavendish's pulse again. He's still alive, which means there is still hope. Dakota continued pumping Cavendish's chest.

After a moment, Dakota stopped again. He wasn't seeing any results. A part of him was starting to believe that he's just imagining that Cavendish still had a pulse. That wouldn't be the first time. But, there was one thing he didn't try yet. Mouth to mouth. That's something he was putting off. He checked Cavendish's pulse one more time before double checking if Cavendish was breathing or not. His partner still has a pulse and is still not breathing.

Dakota gulped and looked down at Cavendish. Hesitating for a moment before deciding to just do it. He took a deep breath and did what he had to do. Quickly pulling away afterwards, he started pressing against Cavendish's chest again. Three pumps in, Cavendish started to cough up water.

"Cavendish!" Dakota called out and moved aside to give him space.

Cavendish turned to his side and started vomiting up water.

Dakota is ecstatic. For once, he was able to save Cavendish without going back in time. He gave Cavendish a moment to recollect himself before trying to comfort him, "How you feeling?" he asked while rubbing Cavendish's back.

"I feel gutted. What happened?" Cavendish said in a weak voice.

"Something hit the boat and you fell off."

Cavendish looked confused, "We're on a ship?"

"Oh Cavendish... Just, hang in there," he put his arms around Cavendish and lifted him off the ground. He let Cavendish's legs drag on the ground as he slowly brought him to the cabin of the ship.

"I don't feel good... I mean well. I don't feel well," Cavendish corrected himself.

"It's okay," He gently put Cavendish on one of the beds in the cabin, "Everything is okay now."

"Oh hello there, I don't believe we've met."

"What?" A wave of panic washed through him, "It-it's me, Vinnie Dakota."

"No, I'm talking to him," Cavendish looked passed Dakota.

Dakota looked at what Cavendish was talking about, there is nothing. "There's no one there."

"Yes there is- oh oh, he's gone now. Bye."

This is... Different. Dakota couldn't stop himself from asking some questions, "Um, what did he look like?"

"Who?"

"The guy that was next to me."

"There's no one next to you."

Dakota sighed in defeat. Cavendish did ingest some salt water, he's probably hallucinating.

Cavendish tried to get out of bed but Dakota quickly stopped him.

"Hey! No! You need to relax."

"But I'm thirsty," Cavendish protested.

"I'll get it for you, just stay."

"I am fully cappable of getting my own water. Cappable. Cabbable. Capable," Cavendish struggled to use the big words he always liked to use, "I'm fully capable of getting my own water.

"Here," Dakota handed him some water. By the time it took for Cavendish to finish his sentence, Dakota got the water.

"Oh thank you," Cavendish accepted the water and started to drink it right away.

"Okay, I just want to make sure you don't have any brain damage. What's your name?"

Cavendish took a break from drinking water to answer Dakota's question, "Blahtazar Candydish.

"Good enough, what's the last thing you remember?"

"An annoying bloke yapping on about pistachios."

Dakota giggled, "An annoying bloke? Are you talking about Mr. Block."

"Pffff, he's such a wanker!"

"Omygodyessss," Dakota tried his best not to burst out laughing, "W-what else do you think about him?"

"That twat! Every time he talks it's like 'pistachio this, pistachio that'. Well, you know what? I know exactly where he can shove those pistachios!"

"Hahahaha! Yes! Hey, random question, what other bad British words do you know and could you use them in a sentence?"

* * *

In the morning, after a good night's rest. Cavendish is feeling much better, but there is something bothering him. He sat in his bed thinking about the events that occurred last night. Guilt and embarrassment ran through his veins. He hid in the cabin for a while, thinking about what to say, before he finally emerged. He found Dakota sitting at the controls of the ship.

"Goodmorning," Cavendish mumbled.

Dakota turned around to face him, seeing him, a big smile appeared on his face, "Ah! Good morning! How ya feeling?"

Cavendish rubbed his hands nervously, "I'm feeling better."

"Good!"

Cavendish closed his eyes and braced himself, "I apologize for my inappropriate behaviour last night!"

Dakota giggled, "Pfff, don't worry about it."

"I wasn't thinking straight."

"It's okay Cavendish."

"Please do not tell Block about all the things I said about him!" Cavendish begged.

"What? You don't want me to tell him you called him a knob-licking arsehole?"

"Oh. My. God," Cavendish covered his face, "I did not say that."

"Yeah, yeah you did. You also called him a bellend, a pillock, a chav, a nutter-"

"Okay! I get it! Just stop using those words!"

"It's okay Cavendish! I won't tell! I promise!" Dakota paused, "Under one condition."

Cavendish sighed, "Of course... What is it? What do you want me to do?"

"Say bloody hell!"

"Dakota!" Cavendish scold.

"Say itttt!"

Cavendish rolled his eyes.

"Please?"

Cavendish caved in, "Bloody hell."

Dakotas eyes lit up, "YES! Oh yes! Your accent! I never realized how awesome it is until last night!"

"Don't you dare say a word about this to Block."

"I won't, I promise."

"Good." Cavendish took a seat next to Dakota, "We will never speak of this again, agreed?"

"Dude, last night you taught me a bunch of bad British words and you're expecting me not to use them?"

"Yes."

"Ballock," Dakota protested and stuck his tongue out.

"Vinnie Dakota!"

"Oh come on! You almost drowned! I saved you," Dakota frowned.

"Oh," Cavendish remembered what led to his impaired state, "Er, and I thank you for that, but we need to keep this environment professional."

"You're boring."

"You're unprofessional."

Dakota frowned but then smirked, "Leccaculo."

Cavendish felt insulted, "Vinnie!"

"Oh come on, you don't even know what that means."

"I do! Shut your mouth you skiver."

Dakota gasped, pretending to be insulted, "How dare you, a fanabla."

"Piss off."

"Mangia merde e morte."

"Vaffanculo."

Dakota coved his mouth, "Ohmygod."

"Yes, I know Italian swear words as well."

They both paused for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"Don't you dare tell anyone about this," Cavendish warned.

Dakota had a hard time calming himself down, "Hahahaha! Oh please, they wouldn't believe me if I did!"


	7. Car Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Milo's family has some car issues.

Another failed mission.

Cavendish couldn't take it anymore. It was one failed mission after another. He wanted to be a time traveller to save the world. He didn't know it would come with an endless stream of failures. No wonder Block constantly yells at him. He's nothing but a failure.

"Hey there!" Milo greeted.

Cavendish was sitting at the edge of the sidewalk. He needed to be alone, he wanted to be alone. Failing one mission after another was starting to get to his head. Dakota went out to go eat something so Cavendish can have some alone time before they report back.

But here he was, not alone anymore.

And that annoyed him.

"Go away," Cavendish dismissed.

"You're that pistachio guy, right?"

"And you're that counteragent, right?"

Milo looked confused, "What do you mean by that?"

"Whatever, I would appreciate being alone right now."

Milo sat down next to him, "Are you having a bad day?"

"Do you not understand basic commands?"

"I think someone's having a bad day."

"If you think this is an opportunity to use my misery to obtain information, you're wrong."

"You don't need to tell me what's wrong. Sometimes I have bad days too. But I keep looking up! Because when the world throws everything it has at you, you fight back!" Milo threw a fist in the air.

"I'm tired of fighting back."

"Sometimes I get tired of fighting back too, that's when you need to take a step back and take a break before fighting back again!"

Cavendish sighed, "It's not that simple."

Milo patted Cavendish on the back, "Whenever you hit rock bottom, there's nowhere else to go but up!"

"Unless you keep digging down."

"Huh," Milo paused, "I guess I never thought about that."

"Look, could you leave me alone? I simply want to sit here and pout."

Milo frowned, "My parents' car broke down. They called a mechanic, but the mechanic's car broke down on their way here. Then, that mechanic had to call another mechanic to help them."

Cavendish looked at Milo, "Hm, what are the odds?"

"Higher than you think, cause I'm a Murphy. You know, Murphy's Law. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong whenever my dad and I'm around."

"Hmmm... Maybe I can take a look at it."

"Really? Are you a mechanic?"

Cavendish stood up, "No, however, I did take a course."

"Cool!" Milo ran towards his parents. Cavendish followed slowly behind, "Hey Dad! I found a mechanic!"

"I'm not a mechanic!" Cavendish corrected, "I'm a time tr- I mean. Yes! I am a mechanic?"

"Oh! The mechanic is here! You managed to get your car running again?" Brigette asked.

"Oh, I am not the mechanic you've called, I just happened to be nearby."

"Hello! I'm Martin," Martin offered to shake Cavendish's hand.

"I'm... Errr..." Cavendish looked around. He looked at a Slushy dog restaurant. The one that he was sure Dakota was in right now, "Doug. Yes, I'm Doug." Cavendish shook Martin's hand, "Nice to meet you. What happened before your vehicle broke down?"

"The car stalled while we were driving and now it won't start."

Cavendish nodded his head and moved his attention towards the car. "Could you start the car while I'm taking a look at it." Cavendish opened the hood of the car.

"Oookay," Martin sat at the driver's seat and turned the key, the car made the starting noise but before it started, it went quiet.

"Oh, this is a simple problem, though, that problem comes with a hefty bill. Your timing belt broke."

"Can you fix it?" Martin gave an uneasy smile.

"I can, I do have a spare timing belt in my vehicle," Cavendish smirked, "You're lucky, not everyone carries around a spare. My vehicle often has issues as well. May as well be prepared when they occur."

"How much is the hefty bill?" Brigette asked.

Cavendish thought for a moment, "You know what? I'll be on me. Where I'm from, timing belts are cheaper."

"Really? Are you sure?"

Cavendish nodded, "I'll be right back," Cavendish went over to his car to take the extra timing belt from the back of his vehicle before returning to the Murphys. It didn't take long for him to fix it. Martin turned the key and the car started. The Murphys cheered.

"Thank you!" Martin smiled and gave Cavendish a hug.

Of course, that made Cavendish slightly uncomfortable, but he enjoyed the praise. "No problem."

"Yeah! Thanks Doug!" Milo cheered.

"Hm? Oh! Yes! Again, no problem."

"If it wasn't for you, we'd probably be stuck here all day!"

"Oh, I'm sure the mechanic would have eventually arrived."

"Seriously, thanks! And whatever's getting you down, I'm sure things will get better!" Milo reassured.

Cavendish smiled, then thought for a moment. He just helped his counteragent. Cavendish rolled his eyes. It was probably completely ridiculous to think that a child was thwarting his missions. Unless that was the agent's goal. To make him think that he's just a normal kid. After all, animals have been secret agents for over a century.

Cavendish shook his head. Maybe he should slow down on the conspiracy theories.

"Have a safe trip home!" Cavendish waved as the Murphys drove off.  
  
Maybe if he can't save the world, at least he can help someone in need. Even if they might be a rival. After all, that's all he wanted to do, help people.


	8. Forgetful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dakota messes up.

Dakota opened the doors of the restaurant. The first thing he saw is the big sparkling chandelier in the middle of the room."This place is nice!" 

Cavendish frowned, "Looks expensive, perhaps we can find somewhere else to eat."

"OOOOOHHHHH! Look!" Dakota pointed at the corner of the room, "A piano!"

Cavendish glared at the piano, "So?"

Dakota smiled broadly, "Don't you know how to play the piano?"

"Pardon?"

"Come on! Don't be shy!" Dakota encouraged.

"I don't believe I've ever told you that I could play the piano..."

Dakota's smile went away.

Whoops.

Cavendish told him that he could play the piano, in a different timeline. A timeline that no longer existed. Cavendish did not remember telling him that.

"You told me once..." Dakota improvised.

"I did?" At this age, Cavendish did suspect that he would become more forgetful but this time he was sure he didn't tell him about that.

"Yeah!" Dakota smiled sheepishly, "You told me you were really good at it."

"I don't ever recall telling you about that..."

"Well ya did, uh, yeah, this place looks too expensive." Dakota tried to change the subject. "I think there's a burger joint nearby, let's go check!" Dakota spun around then quickly left the restaurant.

"Dakota? Hmh..." Cavendish followed behind slowly. He's sure he didn't tell him about that. That was a piece of personal information. They weren't that close. In fact, ever since he decided to become a time traveller, he never told anyone that he can play the piano. The fact that Dakota quickly changed the subject only made it more odd.

Maybe he did research on him? Background check? Barely anyone knows he can play the piano. Even if Dakota did some sort of background check, most likely that was something that wouldn't be common knowledge.

He felt like he needed to press the issue, but at the same time, he didn't want his partner to think he's paranoid. Dakota probably already thinks he's crazy because of the whole him suspecting a child is a counteragent situation...

Perhaps he did tell him?

Is he starting to become more forgetful?

Maybe he was...


	9. Massage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dakota gives Cavendish a massage.

Dakota opened the door of their office. Cavendish has his arm around his shoulder.

"Ooof...." Cavendish groaned in pain.

"It's okay buddy, we're back," Dakota tried to comfort him.

Cavendish pushed himself away from his partner and put all his weight on his desk, "Do we have ice? We don't, do we?"

"Man, we don't even have a fridge in here."

"Hmhhh..." Cavendish sighed.

"Do you think you broke any bones or something?"

"I threw out my back Dakota. I didn't break any bones."

Dakota shuffled a bit, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Ice can help, though we don't have ice. I'll simply rest here for a moment then go home."

"Okay..." Dakota stood there looking at him. He felt bad. It is sort of his fault for what happened. He thought it would be funny to eat a hotdog while watching Cavendish lift up some barrels of some kind of pistachio gelatin. Because he didn't help, Cavendish threw out his back. He expected Cavendish to be mad at him for not helping but he just wanted to be alone afterwards. He noticed that about Cavendish. Whenever he got hurt, he wanted to be alone.

"You can go home," Cavendish dismissed.

"But... You're hurt..."

"I'll be fine in a moment."

Dakota glanced at the door, "I want to make sure you're okay."

"It's fine. You may go," Cavendish rubbed his lower back to try to soothe the pain.

Dakota saw this and got an idea, "What if I give you a massage?"

"No."

"Come on, I just want to help."

"You're not a chiropractor."

Dakota rolled his eyes, "So? Just... Ugh... Here," Dakota went over to Cavendish and put his hands on his back.

"Stop that! I did not consent to this!" Cavendish swatted at Dakota.

Dakota raised his hands, "I just want to help. Gimmy like, five minutes and then you can be all grumpy and stuff."

Cavendish isn't in the mood to fight back. He sighed, "Fine..."

Dakota moved his hands around Cavendish's shoulders and attempted to give him a massage.

"Dakota, I threw out my back. My back hurts, not my shoulders."

"Whoops, sorry," he moved his hand to Cavendish's back, "How's that?"

"It's not that comforting, after all, I'm wearing three different layers of clothing."

"Maybe you should take off your jacket?"

"No."

"Cavendish..."

Cavendish growled but complied. He lifted his back to take off his jacket. Doing that caused a sharp pain to go down his spine, "Gak!"

Dakota quickly helped him take off his jacket.

"Mhhhh..." He rested his weight on his desk again.

Dakota put Cavendish's jacket on his chair. After that, he cracked his knuckles before trying to continue the massage. It still didn't really work. "Your vest is kind of in the way."

Cavendish pushed himself off his desk, "It's fine, I feel better now." He had one hand on his back and used his other hand to grab his jacket, "I'm going home."

"Dude, you're still not fine. I can tell. Get back here."

"No."

"Cavendish, I just want to help, stap being so stubborn," Dakota crossed his arms.

"This isn't your fault, you don't need to do this. I was a bit reckless."

"Come here," Dakota ordered.

"Dakota..."

"Come here."

"Fineeeee..." Cavendish unbuttons his vest but this time he didn't attempt to take it off. He let Dakota do that.

"Okayyy," Dakota put his hands on Cavendish's back and started to give him a massage. "How's that?"

"Try using your palms."

Dakota did as he was told.

"That's... That's better."

"Good," Dakota continued to give him a massage, "You seem a bit tense."

Cavendish frowned, "Perhaps it's because my co-worker managed to get me to take off my clothe and now he has his hands all over me."

Dakota jumped back and raised his hands, "Ew no, don't say that! And you still have a shirt on! It's not like-"

Cavendish giggled, "Are we done now?"

"You kind of killed the mood."

"Oooooh nooooo, whatever shall I do?" Cavendish pretended to be upset.

"Well at least you're joking around, you feeling better?"

"My back is still sore, though, I'm feeling much better," he started to put his vest back on. He tied his jacket around his waist instead of putting it on. "Thank you."

To Dakota, Cavendish looked much better. He decided that this time Cavendish is telling the truth. "So, you heading home?"

"Yes, I'll have to sleep off the rest of the pain, maybe take some medication too."

"Alright, can I hitch a ride with ya to the future?"

"I guess... Unless you'd prefer to use the Quantum Localizer," Cavendish shrugged.

"What about the paperwork for today's mission?"

Cavendish covered his face with his hand, "Blast... I forgot."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."

Cavendish opened the door for Dakota, they both left together to go back to the future.


	10. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dakota has a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Kind of graphic, in a dark way. If you're not okay with that, move on to the next chapter.

"This is without a doubt, the worst mission I've ever been on. This is demeaning. We are time travellers, not gardeners," Cavendish complained.

"Look, we're almost done. What are we suppose to do with all these weeds?" Dakota asked. They had to remove all the weeds around one acre of land on a pistachio tree farm. It took all day. Dakota took off his jacket but Cavendish refuses to take off any part of his suit, which, probably made the whole ordeal even worse for him.

"The farmer wants to turn it into compost. You can use the wheelbarrow to bring the weeds to the barn and I can shred them."

"Great... How much longer do you think?"

Cavendish looked at the pile of weeds, "Another half an hour."

"Uuuuggghhhhh, fine." Dakota took a pitchfork and started to fill the wheelbarrow.

Cavendish left to go inspect the shredder.

As soon as Dakota filled the wheelbarrow up, he pushed it to the barn where he found Cavendish. "Here ya go." Dakota tipped the wheelbarrow over and poured the weeds next to Cavendish. After that, he left to get more weeds.

Cavendish flipped a switch to turn on the shredder. He started to grab a pile of weeds and tossing it into the shredder. While doing this, a loose stick hooked onto his tie and took it out of his vest, but he didn't seem to notice. After throwing yet another pile in, the shredder started to make a weird noise. "What the juice?" He turned it off then back on again. It's still making a weird noise. He leaned over into the machine to see if something is jamming it. There's a loud 'CLANK' noise before the shredder starts working again. The grinder caught onto his tie. The shredder starts pulling him into the machine. "Good lord! AAAAAHHHHH!"

"Balthazar!" Dakota ran into the barn. He quickly realized what is wrong. "Oh god!" He looked around for anything that can cut Cavendish's tie.

Nothing.

"GAAKKK!" Cavendish's tie started to choke him.

"Oh god, oh god." He knew there are some shears back at the house, but if he went for that, it'll be too late.

Cavendish placed both his arms on the edge of the shredder to try to push himself away from the machine. It didn't take long before the lack of oxygen weakens him. He couldn't fight the machine any longer. His arms buckled and after that, there was no going back. The machine pulls him in, "AAAAHHHHH-!"

Dakota looked over at the shredder. There's nothing he can do. He watched as Cavendish went limp and the machine slowly chewed him up. The machine sprayed the walls and floor with blood.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Dakota raised up from his desk yelling.

"AH!" Cavendish dropped his cup of tea all over his desk. "Good heavens!"

Dakota breathed heavily, "W-what?"

Cavendish raised from his desk, "Dakota? Are you alright?"

"AAAAAAHHH!" Dakota fell out of his chair. "Y-y-y-y-your dead!?"

Cavendish ran up to check on Dakota, "Huh? N-no I'm not. Vinnie... You had a nightmare."

"What?"

"You fell asleep at your desk. You looked tired so I allowed you to sleep while I finished the paperwork for our last mission."

"Oooh..." It was a nightmare. Well. It did happen, but in a different timeline. He had nightmares about Cavendish dying before, but this one wouldn't leave him alone. It is by far one of the worse Cavendish deaths he has ever witnessed. The panic and fear on Cavendish's face... The fact that Dakota wanted to help, but he couldn't. It made a mess. A mess that is now permanently engraved in his head. "Okay, ugh. Gimmy a moment." Dakota rubbed his forehead.

"Did you have a dream about me dying?"

"Uhhhh," Dakota wanted to say no, but the longer this goes on, the more he needed to talk to someone, anyone, about it. "Yeah... And... I tried to help... But there was nothing I can do..."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, it was pretty messed up."

Cavendish rubbed his arm apprehensively, "Well, as you can clearly see, I'm fine."

"Yeah, I know."

Cavendish looked away, "Hmh."

"It's fine," Dakota dismissed. He stood up and lifted his chair back where it belonged.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Dakota sighed, "I already said enough."

"Alright." Cavendish didn't want to push Dakota. If his partner didn't want to talk about it, then he won't make him. Cavendish walked over and got a roll of paper towels to clean up the tea he spilled on his desk. It got on some of the paperwork, which means he'll have to redo them. But that didn't really bother him. It wasn't Dakota's fault.

"Cavendish?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, the tea only got on two pieces of paper, it won't take long to-"

"No."

"Hm?"

"Sorry that I couldn't save you in time."

"Oh..." Cavendish adjusted his tie, "It's okay." Cavendish finished cleaning his desk, "You can continue to rest. I'm getting close to finishing the paperwork."

"Thanks." Dakota sat down at his desk and rested his head on his arms. He knew he wouldn't get any more sleep, but he really wanted to rest his eyes.


	11. Stalker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dakota watches over Cavendish during the weekend.

This is wrong. He knew it's wrong. But it is either this, or sit in his apartment and worry about all the terrible ways Cavendish can die.

It's been a couple of days since the last time his partner died.

He's due.

It was always annoying when he died during the weekend because sometimes he'd have to use two Dakotas to know what happened. One to actually see how he died and the other to stop it.

But this still felt wrong.

That's because it is wrong.

The weekend is usually the only two days that Dakota and Cavendish are apart, since, they didn't work on the weekend. Only rarely did they hang out during the weekend.

But here he is, watching Cavendish from a distance.

He's stalking him. That's the definition of what he is doing right now. They are co-workers and barely even friends, but here he is, being a creep.

He had to admit, it is weird and interesting to watch what Cavendish did on the weekend. He definitely did more things than he did. So far he went for a jog to the gym and spent a good two hours working out. Dakota simply watched from a distance at a fast-food restaurant.

Cavendish isn't wearing his suit, he's wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and a sweatband. That also weirded Dakota out. He has almost never saw Cavendish wearing anything other than his iconic green suit.

When he was done at the gym, Cavendish walked out wearing... His green suit... It's not that Dakota didn't like his suit. It looked good on him. It's just nice to see him wearing something else. But he has no right to judge, after all, he does have six pairs of the same tracksuit.

After the gym, Cavendish had a salad at a restaurant, then read something on a bench at the park, and after that, he went back to his apartment. He spent a good couple of hours watching tv with some tea while doing something on his phone. When it was dinner, Dakota ordered a pizza drone and Cavendish had some sort of microwaved meal.

He continued to watch tv after he finished his meal for another half an hour before getting up and going to the bathroom. From where Dakota was sitting, he can see Cavendish starting to undress through the window of his bathroom. Realizing this, he looked away. That was something he didn't need to see. He accepted the fact that he's a stalker now, but there is no way he'll become a peeping tom. Dakota guessed that Cavendish is probably taking a shower, but he didn't want to look.

At this point, Dakota is starting to get really bored. He literally spent all day watching him and nothing bad happened. He was worrying for no reason. He may as well leave before he gets caught.

"Goodnight Cav," Dakota mumbled to himself before getting up and leaving.

* * *

Sunday.

This time, Dakota only stalked Cavendish for a little bit. Mainly because he died early in the morning. It was such a stupid death. Cavendish got a piece of toast stuck in the toaster. He used a butter knife to try to get it out.

While it was still plugged in.

The shock didn't kill him, but it gave him a heart attack that ended up killing him. Dakota did called an ambulance, and they tried their best, but Cavendish ended up passing away.

At least he knew what happened. It just took one Dakota to make sure the power breaker mysteriously happen to go out in Cavendish's apartment after his toast was done.

You can't get electrified if there's no electricity.

To be honest, Dakota was starting to wonder how Cavendish managed to survive this long without him.


	12. Caution, Danger Everywhere!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish walks into a construction site.

They got ice cream.

Even though they failed another mission, Cavendish agreed to go out for ice cream to ease the pain and humiliation of failing another mission. Dakota gobbled down his ice cream right away while Cavendish took his time. By the time they started walking back towards their car, Dakota was done but Cavendish is finishing his cone. Dakota got into the passenger seat and waited for his partner.

"Come on, just toss it into your mouth!" Dakota commanded.

Cavendish swallowed the content of his mouth then cleared his throat. "My apology, I prefer to chew my food before I swallow it," he said before he put the rest of the cone into his mouth. He wiped his mouth with a napkin. Cavendish unlocked the door then reached over to open the car door but because he didn't have a good grip on his napkin, a gust of wind blew it away. "Blast!" Cavendish bent down to pick it up but the wind blew it further away.

"Come on Cav!"

"Just a moment," he followed the napkin as it got taken for a ride by the wind.

Dakota rolled his eyes, "It's just a napkin, it's not a big deal!"

"That kind of mindset is why there is a pollution issue in the future!" he called out as he continued to follow the napkin into a construction site.

"Hey!" Seeing the danger ahead, Dakota got out of the car, but before he could follow his partner, he was stopped by a different version of himself. "Ahhh, nooooo...."

The other Dakota shrugged and handed him a bus ticket and a postcard.

"Wait, you're supposed to do this after saving him."

"Yeahhhh... The other Dakotas are on it," the future Dakota replied.

Dakota gave him a confused look, "What?"

* * *

Cavendish started to get tunnel vision. It annoyed him so much when he got close to catching the napkin but then the wind pushes it further away. Of course. It was as if the world is against him.

A different version of Dakota waved at a bulldozer to get the attention of the driver. Which worked. The driver looked up from his cellphone and stopped his vehicle. Dakota sighed in relief before he noticed that his partner is walking straight towards a ditch. "Oh come on!" Before walking straight into a ditch, a crane moved a large metal beam into his path and instead of falling into the ditch, he walked across it as he continued to blindingly follow the flimsy piece of trash. Now Dakota can clearly see that there is another version of him in the driver seat of the crane.

Cavendish is only getting more annoyed and more determined to get the napkin.

Above him, another version of Dakota quickly grabbed a toolkit that was about to fall off the edge.

Cavendish finally caught the napkin before tripping over a cone and dropping it again. "Ooof." When he was on the ground, a different crane moved a metal beam right above his head. If he didn't trip, it would have hit him, but he didn't notice that. He got back up, quickly dusted himself off then went after the piece of trash again.

He walked right in front of a steamroller that stopped because, for some reason, there are a bunch of cones in the way.

There were some barricades blocking his path, but he didn't pay attention to them, he simply jumped over it and continued on his own mission. Before walking straight into wet cement, a large fan blew the napkin in a different direction.

Following it, it was blown away from the construction site and towards the road. The napkin crossed the road and so did Cavendish. There's a person wearing a safety vest and helmet, holding a stop sign, preventing a car from driving ahead. After crossing the road, he finally caught the napkin then walked towards the nearest trashcan to throw it away.

Cavendish dusted his hands and walked back towards the car. When he got there, Dakota is waiting outside of the car. "Great, you're back. I'm tired, let's just go back to the future already."

Cavendish placed his hands on his hips, "I apologize for taking so long, but I am not a litterbug."

"Whatever."

Cavendish walked to the driver seat and tried to open the car door, "Blast, it's jammed again." Cavendish continued to yank the door nob. When that wasn't working, he put his leg against the car and used all of this strength to open the door.

Dakota got into the passenger seat, he looked at the driver seat door and realized the problem, "Hold up, it's locked, here," Dakota leaned towards the driver seat and unlocked the door.

The door swung opened and threw Cavendish into the middle of the road. He sat up right before getting hit by a truck.

"OH COME ON!!!!!" Dakota shouted. "AAAAAAAAAHH!" He crawled over to the driver's side of the car and got ready to save Cavendish's life one more time, at least for today.

Hopefully.


	13. Small Sacrifices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota gets stuck in the desert for the night.

How did this happen? Oh yeah, they were told to follow the road until the road ended, then go south until they found a bunch of pistachio sapling.

They've been walking for hours and no pistachio trees in sight.

It's starting to get dark.

Giving up, they decided to walk back to their car, but unfortunately, it got dark fast. They kept walking a little bit longer before Cavendish stopped. "Dakota?"

"Yup?" Dakota turned around to look at him, "What's up? Gettin' tired?"

Cavendish squinted his eyes, "It's too dark to see properly, we're going to get lost if we continue."

Dakota shrugged, "All we need to do is go north."

"We could walk right past the vehicle and not even know, then what?"

Dakota thought for a moment and looked around. It is really hard to see anything. Cavendish is right. If they walk right past it, then they will get completely lost. "Alright, so what's the plan?"

"The temperature is going to drop substantially and predators might be a problem, do you have a lighter or some matches?"

"Nah man, the only thing in this backpack is food and water," Dakota used his thumb to point at his backpack on his back.

"Blast..." Cavendish tried to look around, "I guess it doesn't matter, I doubt we could find anything to fuel the fire."

"Well, I don't think it's gonna be that cold. It's not even cold right now. We're in a desert!"

"Dakota, deserts are hot during the day and cold during the night. Not only that, it's winter. It might not be cold now, but it'll go below freezing soon."

"Oookay, then, what are we going to do?"

"We can try to get comfy and hope that nature will take pity on us."

"Haha, okay," Dakota took off his backpack and dug through it while Cavendish tried to clear out an area. "Want anything? Food? Water?"

"No thank you," Cavendish declined.

"Come on, I'm starving and I'm going to feel bad if you don't eat anything."

"It's okay Dakota, I had a large meal before we left."

Dakota sighed and zipped up the backpack without taking anything out. "We can use the backpack as a pillow or something."

"You're not going to eat anything? I thought you said you were starving."

"Ah who knows, maybe we need to save it."

Cavendish was a bit impressed. Dakota is actually taking this situation seriously. "Alright..."

Dakota tossed his backpack onto the ground where Cavendish cleared out. He laid down and rested his head of his backpack. "We might be lost, but at least it's a nice night," Dakota pointed to all the stars that scattered the sky.

Cavendish looked up, "It is a beautiful night, isn't it?" He took off his hat, laid down a couple feet away from Dakota, and admired the sky.

Dakota felt that the distance wasn't necessary. If it was going to get colder, wouldn't it be a better idea to be closer together for warmth? "Uh, Cav?"

"Hm?"

Dakota opened his mouth but he couldn't find the right words to say. He couldn't just ask Cavendish to scoot closer so they could cuddle for warmth. That would be weird. Also, they've never been that close before. Thinking about them cuddling only made Dakota's face heat up.

"Dakota?"

Dakota looked at Cavendish. He's looking at him. Waiting for some kind of response. Now he felt like his cheeks were on fire. "Uhhh... N-nevermind." He avoided eye contact.

"Alright?" Cavendish looked away and back to the stars.

As soon as Cavendish stopped looking at him, he calmed down. He can feel his face cooling down. That was weird. He never felt that way around Cavendish before. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on the stars.

Soon after, Dakota's eyelids felt heavy and he managed to fall asleep.

It was much harder for Cavendish. He kept closing his eyes to fall asleep but now it's much colder. He couldn't get comfortable enough to fall asleep. Looking at Dakota, he's asleep, but he's shivering. Cavendish couldn't help but feel bad.

At this point, he knew that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep so he stood up, took off the jacket of his suit, and put in on Dakota. After that, he walked over to his spot and lied back down again. Since Dakota is already asleep and it is cold, it' probably better this way. It not a good idea to sleep in the cold.

Soon, Cavendish couldn't stop shivering. Which, is a good thing. Shivering helps heat up the body, it would be a serious problem if it is really cold and he stopped shivering.

When the sun started to rise, it started to warm up.

Cavendish didn't sleep at all.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes to try to wake himself up a bit. As the sun bathes the landscape in light, he couldn't recognize his surroundings at all.

Dakota opened his eyes. Seeing that Cavendish is awake, he sat up, yawned, and stretched. "G'morning Cav."

Cavendish looked at Dakota, "Good morning."

When Dakota's eyes cleared, he started to be more awake. He noticed that Cavendish wasn't wearing his jacket and his hair is messy. Then, he realized that Cavendish's jacket is on him, "Huh?"

Cavendish cleared his throat, "You were shivering in your sleep, I didn't want you to get hypothermia," he walked over to Dakota and took his jacket back.

"Oh...Thanks?" Dakota can feel his face heating up again.

"No problem, get up, I'm really looking forward to lying on an actual bed."

"Okay," he got up and picked up his backpack. "What about breakfast?"

"I'm fine."

"Oh come on! You didn't eat anything last night and don't you know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"

"I'm fine, really, you can eat something if you want."

Dakota looked into his backpack. There are two water bottles and two bars left. There was more food, but he snacked on it yesterday when they were looking for the pistachio trees. His water is almost all gone. He's really hungry. "You haven't eaten anything since lunch..."

"I had a big lunch, I'm fine."

"No you're not."

"Vinnie-"

"Look, I got two bars, one for me, one for you, okay?"

Cavendish looked at Dakota and sighed in defeat, "Alright," he took the other bar and started eating it. "Happy?"

"Yes," Dakota unwrapped his bar and started eating too. After he finished his bar, he drank his water, finishing it too, "Well, I'm out of water."

That alarmed Cavendish, "What about my water bottle?"

Dakota grabbed Cavendish's water bottle, "Still half full."

"Good, we still have some water. Hand it over."

Dakota handed him his water bottle but Cavendish grabbed it and Dakota's, now empty, water bottle.

Cavendish poured half of the rest of his water into Dakota's bottle and handed it back to him.

"Woah, no, you don't need to share your water," Dakota protested.

"Vinnie, it's fine."

"But that's not fair."

Cavendish took out his compass and started walking north, "Let's go."

"But..." Dakota sighed, "Okay..."

After walking for an hour, they stumbled across the pistachio trees... And the saplings froze during the night.

Oh well.

They just stood there and laughed.

They've failed so many mission, what's one more? That, or maybe the heat is getting to them.

Cavendish even walked up to a pistachio tree and stomped on it. He's really starting to get sick of pistachio related missions.

They continued to walk back to the car. As more time goes by, the hotter it got. He's sure Dakota didn't notice, but he went out of his way to walk slightly in front of him to give him some shade. After all, there's no point in both of them suffering.

When Cavendish was starting to feel really tired, that's when they came across their car.

"Yeah!" Dakota ran to the car then jumped into the passenger seat.

Cavendish slowly walked to the car. He opened the driver seat door, "Uh, Vinnie? C-could you drive? I'm not feeling well enough to drive."

Cavendish could see the colour drain from Dakota's face, "What? Do you think you're having a heat stroke? Heart attack?" Dakota quickly went through his backpack and took out Cavendish's water bottle. There's still a little bit of water in it, "Here!"

"Ha," Cavendish accepted the bottle and downed the rest in one gulp, "I'm just really tired."

"O-okay," Dakota threw his backpack onto the back seat of the car and got out. Cavendish went around the car and took the passenger seat while Dakota got into the driver seat, "Just... Just stay awake until we get more water and food."

"Alright."

Dakota started the car and travelled into the future. That would be the fastest way to civilization. Cavendish is extremely grateful to have found the car, he wasn't sure how much longer he could have lasted out there.

Even though Dakota told him to stay awake, he could feel exhaustion overtaking his body.


	14. Strange Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish meets an odd fellow.

Cavendish frowned. Dakota was supposed to be here five minutes ago. He has the time machine and somehow he's late.

How is that even possible?

Cavendish pouted and crossed his arms.

"Hello there good sir!" a man approached him. He's wearing a suit similar to Cavendish, but it's black and white. He also has a bow instead of a tie and no googles on his top hat. His hair was black and he also had a handlebar mustache.

"Oh hello there," Cavendish replied.

"I like your suit, where did you get it?"

Cavendish smiled at the compliment. "From a tailor of course," he adjusted his suit.

"Mind if you pass me the name?"

"Oh my apologies, he no longer practices his business," he lied. He couldn't tell the man where he actually got his suit.

"That's unfortunate."

Cavendish smiled. He liked this man's company. He seemed similar to himself. He decided to continue the conversation, "What's your name?"

"Charles Hampton, and your good sir?"

"Balthazar Cavendish," Cavendish raised his hand to shake Charles's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Same goes to you," he shakes his hand then tips his hat, "What brings you here?"

"I'm waiting for a friend, how about you?"

"I was ill. The doctor thought I had tuberculosis, though, I suspected otherwise."

Cavendish looked at the man in confusion, "Hm?"

"You see, suspect my wife of poisoning me. She wanted a divorce, however, it was severely frowned upon for people to get divorced. Soon, I became severely ill within days. When I realized what was happening, I was unable to defend myself."

Cavendish wasn't sure how to reply to that, "That's unfortunate?"

"It's all in the past now. What has been done, is done," Charles shrugged, "Though, I wish she would have been prosecuted for her crime. Who are you waiting for?"

Cavendish's now suspecting he's talking to an actor. It would explain why the man is all suited up, "Errmm, I'm waiting for my co-worker."

"Is he ill?"

Cavendish glared at him, "No? He's late."

"Hm?"

Cavendish saw their vehicle slowing down next to him and parking, "There he is!" he opened the car door, "What took you so long?"

"The lineup was super long," Dakota was holding an ice cream cone.

"You stopped for ice cream?!"

Dakota looked at his cone. He felt the need to defend himself, "Hey hey hey! I got the bungee cords and stuff! I got the ice cream on my way out. It was calling me! It's not my fault! Did you talk to the guy?"

"Yes, he said we were allowed to set up the pistachio stand at Lard World."

"Alright, get in."

Cavendish looked Charles then back at Dakota, "Just one moment," he turned to face Charles, "It was nice meeting you. Thank you for keeping me company while I was waiting."

"No problem! It is nice to see someone from my century around here."

Cavendish paused. Then he realized that the man is wearing something that would be from the 18th century. Cavendish chuckled, "Right back at you."

"Uh, who ya talking to?" Dakota asked.

"Oh, this man is Charles, he was keeping me company while I was waiting for you."

Dakota leaned over to get a better view but he still didn't see anyone, "Who?"

Cavendish looked to his side but the man wasn't there anymore. "Huh? Where did he go? Charles?"

"Oookay, so what? You were talking to a ghost or somethin'?"

Cavendish frowned, "Don't be ridiculous."

"Get it? Cause there's a graveyard behind ya?" Dakota pointed behind Cavendish. There is, in fact, a cemetery behind him.

Cavendish didn't even notice it until now. He shook his head, "Whatever, we're going to be late," Cavendish got into the car.

"At least I wasn't the one talking to myself," Dakota started to drive off.

"I wasn't talking to myself! And could you put that ice cream down? If you're driving, at least have both hands on the steering wheel!"

Dakota shrugged and stuffed the rest of the ice cream cone into his mouth, making a bit of a mess in the progress.

"You're disgusting..."

"MMmmhhm ack les I gok both hams on the weel naw." Dakota replied with a mouth full of ice cream.

"Uck! Don't talk with your mouth full!"

Dakota smiled and chucked.


	15. Tomfoolery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dakota falls asleep and Cavendish decides to messes with him.

"And you two better get it done by tonight! And by tonight, I don't mean finish it later than go back in time and submit it. I mean, get it done tonight! Got it?" Block demanded.

"Yes, Mr. Block." Both Cavendish and Dakota replied at the same time.

Block hung up.

Dakota sighed dramatically, "Aw man, I actually wanted to sleep tonight..."

"Ditto..."

Dakota chuckled, "Is that even a word? Ditto.... Ditto... Diiitttoooo."

Cavendish frowned, "Dakota."

"Yeahyeahyeah. Let's just get this over with." Dakota went over to his desk. He grabbed his chair then dragged it towards Cavendish's desk. Placing it right next to his partner's chair.

"Ffffooommm!" Something teleported into their locker. Cavendish opened it only to see it filled with paperwork.

Cavendish lowered his head, "Aghhh..." He picked up the paperwork and brought them to his desk.

"That's a lot..."

"I know..."

Dakota poked the stack of paper, "I was joking about not sleeping tonight."

"I know........"

"Why do we get stuck with work that no one wants to do?"

"Because we're the lowest of the low."

"Oh yeah."

Cavendish split the pile of paper into two, then handed the other half to Dakota. They both grabbed a pen and went to work. You'd think that in the future, everything would be digital, but since their office was in the past, they had to have the least amount of future technology in it. Just in case someone from the past sees it. Instead of having a cool teleporter, theirs is disguised as a locker.

Hours go by.

Dakota had trouble focusing. As more time went by, the more tired he got. He decided to rest his head on his arm for a second. But, of course, instead of resting for a second, he fell asleep.

Cavendish placed a piece of paper onto the 'finished' pile. Afterwards, he looked over at Dakota.

Dakota has his head rested on his arms.

He is sleeping.

Cavendish frowned, "Dakota."

...

"Dakotaaa."

...

Cavendish used his pen to poke Dakota's head. "Wake up!" When he let go of his pen, the pen got stuck in Dakota's fluffy curled hair. Cavendish chuckled. He looked over at the pencil holder. It has a bunch of pens and pencils. He grabbed a couple and put it in Dakota's hair.

Because Dakota's hair is puffy and curly, the pens and pencils are saying in place. Once there was nothing left in the pencil holder, Cavendish had to get creative. He started to stack things on Dakota's head. Sticky notes, erasers, books, and even the pencil holder. Pretty much anything that is small enough to balance on Dakota's head.

At this point, Cavendish is having a hard time keeping quiet. Every time he looked at Dakota, he started to giggle.

Dakota moved sightly, "Huh?..." he lifted his head, and as soon as he did, everything that was stacked on his head fell to the floor making a lot of noise, "AH!" Dakota jumped in his seat.

Cavendish had to cover his mouth to stop himself from bursting out laughing.

"What the?! Where am I?" Dakota took a look at his surroundings. He quickly realized that he is at the office and Cavendish is next to him. "Cavendish?"

Cavendish burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Unbeknownst to Dakota, he still has a bunch of pens and pencils stuck in his hair.

Cavendish laughed so much that he ended up falling out of his chair.

"Cavendish!" Dakota jumped out of his chair, "Are you okay?"

That stopped him from laughing. "Ugh..." Cavendish rubbed his head. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Dakota hovering above him. He couldn't stop himself from smiling and laughing again. "Pffhahahahahahahaha!"

"Um... Cavendish?" A pen fell from Dakota's hair, "Huh?" He raised his hand up to touch his hair. That's when he realized why Cavendish is laughing so much, "Hey!" Dakota pretended to be annoyed. He couldn't actually be annoyed because seeing Cavendish laugh so much made a smile appear on his face. Soon, he started laughing too.

"Hahaha... ha.. ha..."

Both of them started to calm down a bit.

"Ha... Blast... I got distracted. Hahaha," Cavendish shook his head.

"Oh yeah, ha, we're supposed to be doin' work. Haha... Sorry for falling asleep." Dakota apologized while he plucked the pens and pencils out of his hair.

"Sorry for putting things in your hair."

"Neh, it's fine. At least you didn't draw on my face," Dakota paused, "Wait. Did you draw on my face?"

"I didn't."

"Good. You're not lying, are you? Because if I got stuff drawn on my face when we give this stuff to Block, it's not gonna look good."

"I promise, I didn't."

"Okay," Dakota bend down to pick up the pencil holder, erasers, sticky notes, and books off the ground.

"Vinnie, you don't have to, that's my fault," Cavendish picked up his chair to put it back where it was supposed to go.

"No biggie. It's my fault for falling asleep."

Cavendish watched Dakota clean up the mess, "How do you get your hair like that? Is it natural?"

"My hair?" Dakota shrugged, "I don't do anythin' special."

"It's so curly and soft."

"Cav!" Dakota felt a bit embarrassed. He self-consciously touched his hair. To him, he thought that his hair is soft, but no one ever brought it up. He put all of the stuff back onto the desk, "We should get back to work.

"Of course, enough tomfoolery," Cavendish sat down on his chair and began to work again. They still had a lot of work to do.


	16. The Darkness of Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tired, mad, and frustrated, Dakota snaps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Kind of dark, move along if you're not okay with that.

Dakota just stood there.

He's looking at Cavendish's bloody body. He didn't need to check his pulse to know that he is dead. It looked like he was stabbed and robbed.

"Cav... You were probably terrified..." He said to himself.

Every time he left him alone, something bad happens. Cavendish left their office to buy some coffee for both of them. They were planning on pulling an allnighter and finish up a bunch of paperwork together. But instead of being gone for twenty minutes, he was gone for an hour. That's when Dakota knew something was wrong. Cavendish was only out to get coffee... He didn't deserve this.

"Aaaaaagggghhhhhh! I should've gone with you! But noooooo! I was lazy and stupid!"

Dakota is angry. He didn't want to go back in time, he didn't want to do paperwork. It was like the world was trying to take Cavendish away from him, but he didn't want that to happen.

"Just give me a moment," Dakota turned around and started to walk away, pausing for a moment to looking back at Cavendish one more time before leaving. Every step he took just made him even angrier. He wished that he could be in a room with whoever did this. Someone who would hurt Cavendish doesn't deserve to walk this planet.

That's when a dark thought overcame him. He got into their time machine and travelled back in time.

Instead of meeting up with his past-self, he cautiously approached where he found Cavendish. He can see someone hiding in the darkness of the ally. Walking towards him, the man grabbed him and slammed him against the brick wall of the building next to them. He lifted a knife up to Dakota's neck.

"Give me all your money!" He demanded.

Anger flowed through Vinnie's veins. He is looking straight into the eyes that watched Cavendish died.

He pushed the guy away from him and hit him as hard as he could.

"GAHK!" The guy yelled out in pain.

Dakota tackled the man to the ground and continued to hit the guy over and over again in a blind rage.

It was like he couldn't control himself anymore.

"HEY!" a loud angry voice shouted.

That snapped Dakota out of his rage. Looking at where the voice came from.

It is Cavendish.

He didn't even recognize his voice. Cavendish looked mad. When Cavendish charged towards him, Dakota only instinct was to run away. If Cavendish got closer to him, he'd recognize him right away.

He had to admit to himself, he didn't think this revenge plot through.

Running off, he didn't get far when he noticed that Cavendish wasn't chasing him. He cautiously snuck back to the crime scene only to see Cavendish helping the man that in a different timeline, killed him.

"What happened?" Cavendish asked the man.

"That guy just! Just attacked me! Out of nowhere!" The man shouted back.

Lair.

"That's horrible!" Cavendish took off his jacket and used to cover the man's nose. It looked broken and it's bleeding a lot. "Hold this." The man did as he was told. Cavendish reached into his pocket to call for an ambulance.

That's Dakota's cue to leave. At least Cavendish is still alive, and that's all that matters. He let his anger get to him. He never heard Cavendish yell at him like that before. Even when he is mad at him.

At least Cavendish didn't know it was him, or else he would have had to waste another Dakota just to go back in time to stop himself from doing something stupid.

Dakota had enough time to meet up with his past-self and get cleaned up before Cavendish came back to the office.

Cavendish brought back some coffee and explained why it took him so long. All Dakota could think of while Cavendish explained what happen, was that the man didn't deserve Cavendish's attention. He literally stabbed him to death in a different timeline.

This wasn't fair.

The fact that Cavendish kept dying all the time is starting to get to him again. It did felt good to get some anger out. Though, that was probably not a good way to release stress.

But it didn't matter anymore.

If he did kill the man, he could go back in time to stop himself before it got out of hand.

It's almost like whatever he did, didn't have any consequences anymore. There were so many different versions of himself running around that adding another one to the list didn't seem to matter anymore. At this point, maybe he would rather go to the island. At least then, he wouldn't have to see Cavendish die anymore.


	17. Weird Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish has a weird dream.

Darkness surrounded him. The only thing he can see is himself

Cavendish felt cold. Really cold. Suddenly, he had a hard time breathing. He wasn't sure how he got here or what is happening. All he knew is that he's in a lot of pain. There was a burning sensation in his chest when he tried to gasp for air. His limbs are so cold, it felt like a bunch of needles were being jabbed in them.

"Cav," a familiar voice called out. "Hey Cav."

Cavendish suddenly woke up. Apparently, somehow he fell asleep. "Where am I?"

"Sheesh, out like a light huh? Didn't get enough sleep last night?" Dakota asked.

"Perhaps," Cavendish felt his forehead. It is a bit warm.

He has been feeling a bit off lately.

That strange dream could have been some sort of a fever dream.

He looked around him. It is the beginning of winter. They were near the docks, unloading pistachio crates from a ship. Cavendish wanted to take a break but apparently, he ended up falling asleep while he was resting his head on a pistachio crate.

"I know you're tired, but these crates aren't gonna move themselves, am I right?"

Cavendish sighed, "Alright."

He still felt on edge from that dream. It took a moment for him to shake it off.

He got up then walked towards the docks. While he is about to board the ship, Cavendish slipped on some ice and almost fell off the dock. Luckily for him, Dakota was nearby to grab his jacket and pull him back to safty. If it wasn't for him, he could have fallen into the ice-cold water below.

That wouldn't have been fun.


	18. Stuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Without Cavendish there to help him and without a working time machine, Dakota gets stuck in the past for a while.

He was starting to get used to it.

Just get to the time vehicle and everything will be okay. But he never thought about what if their time machine was out of commission?

Their time machine is broken, which, happened often because their time vehicle is a piece of junk. With Cavendish around, it would take a maximum of an hour for him to get that piece of garbage back up and running again.

The only problem is that he's not around.

Anymore...

What happened? An asteroid.

Never in a million years would Vinnie have guessed that it was actually possible to come back from a car parts shop and just BOOM! An asteroid! Falling from the sky. Out of nowhere. They were just walking down the street. Everything was normal. Then, BAM!

Seeing this, Vinnie was in awe. This was by far the must unlikely Cavendish death he has ever witnessed.

Checking Cavendish's pulse, he's gone. This might sound cruel, but this is his favourite kind of dead. Quick and Cavendish didn't see it coming.

The only problem was that he didn't pay attention to Cavendish when he was talking about what was wrong with their car. He has the car parts that Cavendish bought, but he didn't know what they did. He couldn't really go to a mechanic because their car wasn't 'normal', but he may as well try.

It went as well as he thought it would. He got the car towed to the mechanic, he handed the guy the stuff that Cavendish bought, the guy popped the hood, and had no idea what he was looking at. Vinnie made up a story to explain why the car is so weird. Telling the guy that the car is from a different country and he got it really cheap.

That mechanic tried his best but he couldn't get it running again.

While Dakota walked out of the workshop, he kept scolding himself for not paying attention to what Cavendish was talking about.

He couldn't even call Block for help either. They forgot their communicator in the future.

So that means he is stuck in the past until somehow the car gets fixed or until Block realizes that something went wrong during their mission.

He couldn't rely on Block. Which means he has to get the car fix no matter what.

He quickly became friends with the mechanic. That guy was fascinated with Vinnie's strange car and agreed that if Dakota helped him around the shop, after work, they can work on the car together. So that's what he did. Dakota slept in the car and spent most of the day helping the guy around the workshop. He helped so much that the mechanic hired him as a mechanic assistant, which gave him the money to buy food and to take care of himself.

That was a good thing because he was starting to neglect himself.

While they were working together, Dakota learned a bunch of stuff about cars. Most of the stuff he learned was kind of useless because even though the cars they worked on weren't that old and some were less than three years old, to him, all these cars were ancient. Even if his time machine looked old, in the inside, everything is way newer than any of these vehicles.

Days turned into weeks and as more time goes by, he's sure that Block wasn't going to help him.

The mechanic advised him that they should try changing the engine and replace it to see if that'll help. Dakota always refused because even if he didn't know that much about how time machines worked, he knew that it takes a lot of power, so much power that an engine from this year would never be able to power it. May as well not touch the engine because if they accidentally broke it, game over.

Months go by and the mechanic started to actually get really concern about how obsessed Dakota was about getting the car to work again.

One day Dakota had a complete mental breakdown in front of him. He tried to remind him that it's not the end of the world if they couldn't get the car working, but that didn't help.

As more time went by, Dakota began to lose all hope. Every day that goes by, he felt more and more distance. Not that he didn't care about Cavendish anymore, it's just, he was starting to come to terms with it. The only problem is, to him, it felt like it wasn't Cavendish's time yet. He didn't want it to end like this. End with him stuck in the past and no one knowing what happened to them. The only thing that keeped him going was the feeling of not wanting things to end like this.

Eventually, Vinnie turned the key of the car and there was a loud 'Clank' noise before the car actually started.

"No way! I can't believe it!" the mechanic shouted in disbelief. He bends down to look at Dakota through the window of the car, "I honestly thought we'd never get this thing to start!" he said with a smile, "I can't believe it! You must be flabbergasted!"

Dakota didn't respond. He had a blank expression on his face.

Nothing mattered anymore.

Pressing some buttons, a portal opened up in front of the car and sucked it up.

The mechanic stood there in shock, "W-what?"

He finally got the car to start again. FINALLY! As he travelled through the time stream, he realized what will happen. This guy that he spent so much time working with, won't remember him at all. These past couple of months will be erased. Dakota hasn't even seen Cavendish in so long. And because he can't clock in the hours when he's off the grid, now he's a couple of months older than when Cavendish died. He can just go to the island instead of the past Dakota, but it's probably better if he did take his past-self's place.

Even if he's a bit older, if this ever happens again, he would know how to fix their vehicle. Next time it wouldn't take as long.

That and, it might sound a bit selfish, but Dakota wanted to be with Cavendish again. He did not do all of this just to save him then go straight to the island. Besides, it wasn't that big of a deal that he was a few months older.

The car jumped out of the time stream.

Parking it and getting out of the vehicle, there is only one thing left to do and everything will go back to normal.


	19. Thwarted By Yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon almost completing a mission, someone sabotages it.

"Hey! We're almost done and the pistachio cart hasn't blown up yet!" Dakota announced.

"Don't jinx it Dakota," Cavendish scold. He took out his binoculars to looked around, "This is peak moment! You must remain focus!"

Dakota looked at his watched, "What could possibly go wrong in the next five minutes?"

Cavendish glared at him, "Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"You're going to jinx us."

"This is going to be our first successful mission!"

"Dakota!"

A woman approached them asking for a bag of pistachios. Cavendish was careful while filling up a bag of pistachios before handing it to her. She smirked, "Thank you!"

"No problem," Cavendish said with a smile.

Dakota nudged Cavendish, "I think she's our last consumer!"

"This is not possible. Something is going to go wrong."

Dakota's watch beeped, "It's over! We're done!"

"We still need to make sure to store this cart and the leftover pistachios properly."

CLANK!

"What was that?" Cavendish looked around to figure out where that sound came from. A grappling hook clamp onto the rim of the pistachio cart. A second later, the grappling hook pulled the cart towards where the hook came from. "The pistachio cart!" Cavendish sprinted towards it.

Dakota followed close behind him.

The cart is rolling towards a ditch. As Cavendish ran after it, he saw a blurred figure running into an ally.

That looked suspicious.

Cavendish came to a stop when the pistachio cart fell into the ditch and blew up.

"Aw man..." Dakota sighed, "We were so close... Sorry for jinxing it."

Cavendish is in complete alert mode, "That was sabotage!" he glared at the ally before running towards it, "Hey!"

"Cavendish? Woah! Wait up!" Dakota tried to catch up.

There is giggling. That only made Cavendish furious. The thought of someone ruining their mission on purpose, and them finding it funny, only fueled his anger. Exiting out of the ally from the other side, he saw...

Himself?...

A different version of himself laughing.

It looked like there is also another version of Dakota. He watched as the both of them got into their time vehicle and time travelled away.

Cavendish is speechless. He was just thwarted... By himself?

Dakota caught up. He gasped for air, "What happened?"

"I..." Cavendish wasn't sure if he should tell the truth. Why would a future version of himself sabotage his own mission? "I think someone sabotaged our mission."

"What? Did you see that kid again?"

"No... I..." Cavendish shook his head, "Nevermind. Let's report back."

"Okay... Maybe Block will go easy on us? We practically completed our mission."

"Perhaps..." Cavendish wasn't sure how to gather his thoughts. He decided for now to dismiss it. After all, the one person he can trust the most is himself. If that was his future-self, he must of have had a good reason why he ruined their mission.


	20. Bon Appetit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota investigate automatic restaurant in the future for pistachios.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Another dark fanfic and it's kind of graphic... Skip this one if you don't want to read something that's kind of messed up.

They are at a fancy automatic restaurant.

It is the year 2143.

Pistachios are long gone, but apparently, there were rumours that this restaurant is using pistachios as a secret ingredient. So, of course, they got assigned to investigate it. This restaurant is Dakota's favourite. The place is huge and pretty much everything is automatic.

As soon as they stepped through the door Dakota went straight to an empty table and started ordering a steak through the touchscreen menu.

Cavendish followed him. He put his hands on his hips and gave him an annoyed look, "We are not here to eat."

"But I'm starving!" Dakota argued and rubbed his tummy.

"You're always starving! Ugh..." Cavendish rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll go investigate. You better join me as soon as you're done."

"Really?" Dakota is surprised, "You're not even going to argue?"

"It'll take longer to convince you to come along than it'll probably take to inspect this place."

"Awesome!" Dakota continued to tap on the touchscreen menu. He ordered a drink and even some fries for Cavendish. If Cavendish doesn't want them later, that'll just mean more for him.

As Cavendish is walking towards the kitchen, he patted his pocket to make sure he had his inspection badge. After he felt it there, he adjusted his tie, dusted his suit, then pushed open the doors to the kitchen. Stepping in, everything is automatic. Machines everywhere.

"Hello?" Cavendish announced his presence, "I am Balthazar Cavendish. I'm an inspector." He waited for a response, but nothing. He walked around some more, "Hello?"

Looking at all this machinery, he couldn't help but wonder how many people lost their jobs because of this thing. Sure, it is probably not fun to work in a restaurant, but it was a job. Now, this restaurant is one of the most automatic restaurant in the United States. It is known for people being able to order whatever they want without having to talk to anyone and for the food always being cooked perfectly. Zero chance of getting food poisoning. Which is good, but looking at the machine and the fact that no one is around to keep an eye on it made him realize that someone could easily walk into the kitchen and tamper with the equipment.

"Hello?" Cavendish called out. Still nothing. Sighing, he took a closer look at the ingredients. No pistachios. That's when he spots a metal staircase. He walked up the stairs, "Anyone here?"

Seeing a door, he knocked on it before opening it. More machines. He closed the door and continued his search.

From where he is, he had a better view of how the machines worked. Leaning against the rails, he looked around. Even from this high point, he couldn't see anyone else.

CREEEEK

The safety rail he 's leaning on started to bend and before he knew it, the rail broke, causing Cavendish to fall from the second floor onto the machinery below. "Gak!" Cavendish shouted in pain when he fell onto a treadmill. He lost his hat and knocked down the box that used to be on the treadmill. Before he could react, the treadmill brought him into the machine. He braced himself as clamps and drills moved around him. But they didn't do anything to him. They were there to take the box apart. The box that fell from the treadmill.

When the machine stopped, Cavendish calmed down a bit and attempted to get out of where he is. Before he could, the ground underneath him parted and he fell below. Where he fell, it closed up and now he is stuck.

There was a 'fwoom' sound and the walls around him started glowing red. Panic ran through him when he realized it is getting warmer and warmer and there is no way out.

* * *

Vinnie slowly drank his drink as he waited for his meal. After a while, the center of his table lifted up revealing his steak and fries.

"Finally!" Dakota reached over and pulled the food closer to him. He ate one fry before going for the steak. It tasted different than he remembered. It tasted more like pork than a steak, but he didn't mind. It still tasted amazing. There is a reason this is his favourite restaurant.

Minutes go by and he finished his meal. Finishing his meal made him feel a bit uneasy.

He sort of expected that Cavendish would be done by now and he'd come out to drag him with him. But, there is still no sign of his partner.

So he went for the fries.

He is a stress eater.

After the fries were all gone, he decided to get up and go to the kitchen. Stepping into the kitchen, there are machines everywhere. Way more machines than he expected. "Oh no," Dakota ran his fingers through his hair, "Cavendish?" he called out. No responses.

Walking around, he found Cavendish's hat lying on the ground. Picking it up, he already knew that something went wrong. He also found a box that looked broken. Inspecting it, it is a box of beef. Looking up and seeing the broken rail, that's when he made the connection.

"Ugh," Dakota covered his face with his hand, "Cavendish... You have to be more careful..." Then that's when it hit him like a bunch of bricks. He ate steak. Steak is beef. It tasted different. Realizing this made his blood go cold. A wave of nausea washed through him, then, he started to gag.

It took him a moment to pull himself together before calling out for Cavendish again, "Balthazar?!" As he expected, no response. He took a deep breath and hugged Cavendish's hat. "Ooooooh! That must have hurt!" He held his partner's hat even closer as he unconsciously rocked back and forth. It took him some more time to try to calm down, or at least, make himself look like he wasn't freaking out, before he left the restaurant with his partner's hat. He figured that he'll give the hat to the next Dakota so that he'll have something to remember him by. Even though, he, himself, has never been to the island, he knew that it must be hard for the other versions of himself to accept the fact that they would have to spend the rest of their life on an island without Cavendish.

After that incident, it took a while for him to gain his appetite again. He even lost a lot of weight really quickly, but because of his baggy clothes, Cavendish didn't notice. Of course, humans need food to survive so he slowly began eating regularly again. Only now, he decided to never eat at that restaurant ever again and to take a break from beef and pork.


	21. Worst Outcome Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pistachions took over the world in the future. Dakota was left to make a difficult decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: A bit dark.

Pistachions...

Human-like pistachio monsters.

They took over the world.

And it is all his fault.

Well, it was Cavendish and his fault. Both of them accidentally created the first pistachion. Which eventually resulted in pistachions taking over the world. They tried to investigate what happened to the future when they stopped getting a signal, but instead, they got caught and thrown in prisons. All three of them, Cavendish, Dakota, and a poor innocent kid that accidentally tagged along.

But the pistachions did not go easy on them. They were especially rough with Cavendish. They told him to stop struggling. They told him to stop fighting back. They told him that they would hurt him if he didn't stop.

Dakota only wished that the kid wasn't there. The kid didn't have to see that.

At this point, his only goal now was to make sure to protect the kid and to go back in time to stop this. To stop all of this from happening. He is used to seeing Cavendish die, but he didn't want to watch a kid die because of him.

Even if this timeline didn't matter anymore.

But now he felt terrible.

When he got a hold of a time machine, without hesitating, he abandoned the kid.

The look that Milo gave him when he locked him out of the car... It was a scared and confused look. Something he never wants to see again.

He couldn't take the kid with him. He had to go back in time to undo all of this from happening, then send his past-self to the island. He couldn't be stuck with another version of that kid. It wasn't right to take Milo with him but why did it feel so wrong to leave him?

On his way to warn the past versions of them, he found some fruit at an abandoned stand. He took some with him. After all, he didn't eat anything for over a day. He ended up throwing a peach to distract the past version of Cavendish. When they got distracted by the peach, they saw the danger ahead of them.

They didn't get captured.

That's what is important.

After this whole ordeal is over, he can take the place of his past-self like he always did.

Everything will be back to normal. But why did he still feel terrible?

Oh yeah, he abandoned Milo in an alternate timeline.

There is a theory about time travel. A theory that time travellers jump from one alternate reality to another. If they went back in time to stop an event from happening, by changing it, they create a different reality in which that event never happened.

It was only a theory that most scientists didn't believe in. There wasn't really any way to prove if it was real or not.

But if it was real, in an alternate reality, Milo is alone in a world that is ruled by pistachio monsters. And it is all his fault.

The only thing that comforted Dakota is that he knew that there was nothing he can do now. What was done, was done. It wasn't possible to go back to that alternate reality where Milo is alone. If that theory about time travel was true.

It could be false and that alternate reality doesn't exist anymore. That's what he hoped happened.

If he abandons every single reality to save Cavendish in another, that could explain why his past-selves don't disappear. But if that is the case, that means in every single world that Cavendish died, he disappeared without a trace.

He was reckless whenever he would undo Cavendish's death. He believed that the other timeline would get erased. If those timelines didn't actually get erased... He wouldn't know how to feel about that.

Because of that theory, he wasn't sure if he made the right decision. If that alternate reality did still exist, it would have been better to take Milo with him, but if it didn't, then all he would do is create another Milo that would have to go to the island with him. The poor kid would have to be separated from his friends and family. Not only that, Dakota doesn't know how to take care of a kid. Kids are great, when you're their friend and you're not the one taking care of them. Even at his age, he didn't think he is mature enough to take care of a kid.

But at this point, there is no going back and it didn't matter anymore. Whenever he saved Cavendish, he always felt selfless. But this time. This tiem he felt selfish. He could have saved that world from Pistachions, but instead, he had to save his partner first.

Selfish.

Cavendish called him that a couple of times.

As time went on, he hated it more and more when he called him that.

But now, it is true.

At this point, he is saving Cavendish so he can be with him, not to actually save him. He needed him. He didn't want to live in a world without him.

What he did was selfish.

But everything is back to normal. At least, from his point of view.


	22. 24-Hour Diner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dakota goes to a 24-Hour Diner after a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Ooops, I wrote some more dark stuff. So yeah, you know the drill. If you're not okay with reading that kind of stuff, skip this one.

Ding ding!

The bell above the door rang. Dakota walked into the restaurant. It is the middle of the night and this is a 24-hour diner. He practically had to push himself towards the stools on the other side of the restaurant. This diner looked like something straight out of the 50's.

He sat down on one of the stool and rested his head on his arms at the counter.

"Hey there!" A young blond woman with her hair in a ponytail greeted Dakota.

He lifted his head and put on a fake smile, "Oh, can I have a slice of chocolate pie?"

"Coming right up!" She announced and went to the back of the diner to go get a slice of pie.

Dakota is alone again. There is no one else in the diner.

It didn't take long before the woman came back with a slice of pie and a fork. "Pie!" she cheerfully announced then placed the plate in front of Dakota.

" _Sheesh_ , someone is in an awfully cheery for one am," Dakota replied.

The woman leaned over the counter, "Well, graveyard shift gets a bit boring. It's always nice when someone actually shows up."

Dakota looked down at his slice of pie, poking it with his fork.

The woman saw this, "And it looks like you need some cheering up."

Dakota sighed and looked at the woman, "Seriously? Is it really that obvious?"

"As obvious as a black cat trying to hide in the snow. So, what's wrong?"

Dakota grabbed a piece of the pie with his fork, "I just have a lot on my mind," he put the piece into his mouth.

"Like what?"

Dakota swallowed, "It's confidential."

"What? Did you kill someone?"

Dakota's eyes widen, but he quickly calmed down, "Nah, it's not that. What? I don't look that sketchy, do I?"

The woman looked away, "Well... Let's just say you've got some ketchup stains on your jacket and shoes..."

Hearing that, Dakota looked down at his clothes. The woman is right, he has red stains on his outfit. " _Oh geez_..." He looked back up at the woman, "Y-you're not gonna call the cops, are you?"

"Why would I call the cops for ketchup stains?"

"Hmh," Dakota put another fork full of pie into his mouth and avoided eye contact. There is a moment of silence before Dakota spoke again, "You know what? Why do I care anymore? This isn't my timeline..." Dakota continued to avoid eye contact. After saying that, she'll probably think he's crazy, "I don't even remember what year it is right now. What year is it?" He looked around in the diner, "It is the 50's? Or is this place inspired by the 50's?"

The woman had a confused look on her face, "It's 2008."

"Hmp..." Dakota took another bite of his pie.

"So, you're a time traveller?"

"Yup," Dakota rested his head on his hand, "And my partner died on the job. I didn't go back in time to save him yet. Usually, it's the first thing I do but... It's just... It's been four hours since I ate anything and I'm starving." Dakota took yet another bite of pie, "Mmh... This is some good pie."

The woman is now visibly concern, "How did your partner die?"

"Ha! You wouldn't believe me if I told you! He was crushed by a piano! In the middle of the woods!"

The woman gave a surprised look.

"I know right? What are the ODDS of a PIANO falling out of the sky, out of NOWHERE!"

The woman stood back a bit and lifted up her arms, but Dakota didn't notice her cautious stance.

" _But it's okay_... Everything is fine... All I need to do is go back in time and everything will go back to normal," he explained, "You'd think that after all this time I'd be used to it. He must have died over a hundred times by now. It's just... It's so annoying when he calls me selfish or when he treats me like an idiot. Sometimes I wonder why I even do this anymore. Part of me is just doing this because I'm in too deep. But then... I remember why I do this." Dakota sighed, "I need him. The world needs him. Because even though sometimes he gets on my nerves... He wouldn't hesitate... Even for a second... To put someone else's life before his own..."

The woman wasn't sure what to say, but before she tried to say something, Dakota continued.

"It just gets a bit weird sometimes because technically, we've only known each other for a few months. But it feels like I've known him for years. As a time traveller, you're supposed to keep track of your hours. So that you can keep track of how much time has gone by and how old you are. But I can't report the time where I go off the grid. So I lost track of how old I am. But that's not that big of a deal. I'll just age faster than everyone else. It's just. I've known him longer than he's known me which is weird if you think about it."

Dakota took one last bite of his pie, "We've gone through so much stuff together. And most of that stuff, he doesn't even remember. The worse part is that I know I'll just keep doing this until the day I'm not around anymore. Once we met the future versions of ourselves. Apparently, we had a fight over an eggroll and stopped being friends. But he's still alive! After all this time! Which means I kept saving him even though we weren't friends anymore. Why? Why would I do that?" Dakota looked away, "I'm crazy, aren't I?" He turned to face the woman. That's when he noticed how uncomfortable the woman looked. "Oh! Sorry, that's a lot to take in," he looked down at his now empty plate, "Thanks for the pie. How much do I owe ya?"

"Four dollars and twelve cents," she replied.

"Alright," he pulled out his wallet, "Gimmy a moment. I gotta make sure to use money from before 2008." Dakota took out a ten dollar bill and handed it to the woman, "Keep the change." 

"Woah, thanks!"

Dakota waved his hand, "Ah, no problem."

Weewooweewoo!

Police sirens ran out in the distance.

Dakota's eyes widen, "Aw man, you called the cops."

The woman put her hands up, "Yeah... Sorry about that." She slowly started to back up cautiously.

"Eh, it's okay," he looked down at his jacket, "Ketchup stains isn't a good look on me. Thanks for listening. I needed to talk to someone about this."

"We have you surrounded! Come out with your hands up!" a police officer shouted outside the diner.

Dakota started to panic a bit, "Aw man, _aw man_ ," he reached into his jacket and pulled out a ray gun, "I hate doing this, but I can't go to jail." He started to walk towards the door, but he looked at the woman one more time, "Don't worry, it doesn't matter... I'm already going to go back in time. The only thing that matters now, is saving Cavendish's life..."

* * *

While Cavendish was distracted, future Dakota waved from a bush to get the other Dakota's attention. They quickly switched outfits, since, Dakota's outfit had 'ketchup' stains on it. Then, the Dakota from the future handed his past-self a bus ticket and a postcard. After that, he took his past-self's place and joined Cavendish.

"Hey Cav!" Dakota shouted, "I found the pistachio trees!" He grabbed Cavendish's arm and practically dragged him towards the pistachio trees they were looking for.

"Dakota! Slow down!" Cavendish ordered.

"Ta dam!" Dakota presented the pistachio trees.

There was a loud BAM sound in the distance, "What was that?"

Dakota quickly tried to distract him, "Come on Cav! These pistachios won't set themselves on fire!"

Cavendish smiled and nodded. After the whole pistachion incident, they make it their goal to destroy pistachios.

They set the pistachio trees on fire.

Destroying them.

After that, they walked out of the woods.

"Blast!" Cavendish shouted.

"It's not that bad."

"Not that bad?! My suit!" During their vandalism, Cavendish accidentally set his suit on fire.

"At least you're still alive. And the pistachios are gone. Hey! I know what will cheer you up." Dakota pointed at a 24-hour diner, "I heard this diner has some good chocolate pies."

Cavendish looked up, "Dakota... Food cheers you up." Looking at his partner's disappointment reaction, Cavendish paused, pouted, then rolled his eyes. "Alright! You haven't complained about being hungry all day. We can stop for pie. It'll be my treat."

* * *

Ding ding!

The bell above the door of the diner rang.

Both Dakota and Cavendish walked into the restaurant. Dakota waved at a blond woman with a ponytail, "Hey!" he smiled, "Can we get two slices of chocolate pie?"


	23. Giraffe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dakota drags Cavendish to the zoo to see a giraffe.

"Okay," Dakota looked at the giant map of the zoo.

Cavendish sighed, "Vinnie..."

"Ah ah ah!" Dakota stuck his index finger in the air, "This needs to happen."

Cavendish covered his face, "It's not a big deal."

"Shhhhh! Okay, so there's the tigers," Dakota pointed at a cartoon tiger on the map. "Hmmm... No, it's not on the map, but it's probably in the African Safari exhibit! Come on! Let's go!" Vinnie grabbed Cavendish's wrist then started dragging him towards the African Safari part of the zoo.

"Dakota! Slow down!" 

* * *

Dakota looked around. There are elephants, zebras, lions, gazelles, hippos, and buffalos. "But... They had.."

"It's okay Vinnie."

Dakota frowned, "No!" An employ walked nearby, "You!" Dakota pointed at him. "Where's the giraffes, it's an emergency!"

"No it isn't," Cavendish quickly added.

"I'm sorry," the employ apologized, "All of them somehow escaped a while ago. When we gathered them up, for the safety of the consumers, we had them shipped to another zoo while we improve their habitat."

Dakota dramatically fell to his knees, "Noooooooooo!"

Cavendish giggled, but he tried to cover it up. "Dakota, it's not that big of a deal..."

Dakota got back up again, "This man," he motioned towards Cavendish, "Has never seen a giraffe! And you're tellin' me, there are no giraffes here? What has this world come to?"

"Vinnie, I can simply search them up online."

"No! That'll ruin the magic!" Dakota gasped, "Wait! We're time travellers!"

"Dakota!" Cavendish scold, "Don't shout! He's joking, we're not time travellers," he tried to reassure the employ.

Dakota pointed at the employ, "When did they escape?"

The employ raised his hands up, "L-like a month ago or something."

Cavendish put his hand on his partner's shoulder, "Dakota, you're scaring him."

"Onwards Balthazar! Before this day ends, you'll see a giraffe!" And with that, Dakota ran off.

"Aghhh... I apologize for his actions," Cavendish apologized, "Dakota wait!" 

* * *

 "Okay okay okay, this is the moment of truth! You're not peaking are you?" They travelled a little over a month ago and now, they are near the giraffe exhibit.

Cavendish has his hands covering his eyes, "It's about time, we paid an entrance fee twice for this."

"Comeoncomeoncomeon! You're not peaking right?"

"I'm not."

"Goodgoodgood," Dakota pushed Cavendish towards the exhibit. He made sure to place Cavendish right in front of a giraffe. "Okay," he took a deep breath, "You can look."

Cavendish uncovered his eyes and looked at the animal in front of him, "WOAH!" He jumped back in surprise.

Dakota squeaked in joy as he looked at his partner's reaction.

Cavendish looked up at the animal, "I... I, uh... I did not expect them to be that tall... I mean, I had an idea of what to expect from of the costume, though... They were... Much smaller in my head."

"I know right?"

"Are they carnivorous?"

"Nope."

"Do they come in different colours?"

"Nope."

"Why do they have antennas?"

"The ossicones on their heads? They're more like horns, not antennas," Dakota answered.

"Hmmh..."

"I can't believe you've never seen a giraffe before."

"It's not my fault, they're extinct in the future."

Dakota sighed, "Yeah... I guess."

"You seem to like animals a lot, is that part of the reason you became a time traveller. To see extinct animals?"

"I... A little bit. Those android animal zoos are boring..."

Cavendish shrugged, "You can pet the tigers, you can't do that here. You'll lose an arm."

"Yeah! But they have no souls, no personalities..." Dakota rubbed the back of his head, "They're not real..."

"I see..."

The giraffe lowered its neck to hover its head above Cavendish.

Cavendish looked back at it, "Vinnie, it's looking at me. Are they dangerous?"

"Nah man, well, as long as they don't trample you."

The giraffe rubbed its head against Cavendish's head. "Ah! Good heavens!" In the process, the giraffe knocked Cavendish's hat off.

"That is so cute! Hold up!" Dakota reached into his pocket to take out his phone. "Gotta take a picture of this!"

"Vinnie help!"

"It likes you!"

The giraffe hoofed against Cavendish's neck, which tickled him. After holding back a laugh, Cavendish tried to push its head away from him, "Okay, that's enough."

"Nooooo! I didn't get a picture!"

Cavendish sighed. He decided, for Dakota, that he'll let the giraffe continue to nuzzle him. Of course, seeing Dakota's big smile, made him smile. Not only that, the giraffe getting all friendly with him, resulted in him having a really goofy smile. 

"Awwww!" Dakota took a bunch of pictures.

The giraffe licked behind his ear. Cavendish squealed, "Okay," he pushed the giraffe away again while silently giggling, "Are we done now? Got pictures?"

"Yuppp!"

Cavendish backed away from the giraffe then picked up his hat. "We may as well look around, last time we were here, we were too busy with a mission. Besides, I didn't pay an entry fee twice only to see one animal."

"Yes! We're going to the zoo, we're going-"

"We're already at the zoo!" Cavendish interrupted, "Besides, I've only observed an android zoo, not an actual zoo. You're right, these animals have a lot more personality," he took out a handkerchief to try to clean off some of the giraffe slobber on his head.

"Woohoo! We got to check out otters! They are sooooooo cute!" Dakota already was running off, "comeoncomeoncomeon!"

Cavendish chuckled, "Vinnie! Slow down!"


	24. Footsy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At a boring meeting, Cavendish and Dakota find a way to pass the time.

"All of you are here to discuss our recent problems." Mr. Block announced.

They are at a meeting. Block decided to gather up all the low-class agents to remind them about their recent failures. Of course, Cavendish and Dakota are there.

"You are all incompetent! You've all managed to fail the most basic of missions. Barton and Hadleigh both constantly fail to preserve the Dodo bird. Kent and Landon, unable to find out the secrets of Starlite. Cavendish and Dakota failing over and over again to protect pistachios. Clare and Ashley-" Block continued to go on his rant.

Cavendish and Dakota are bored out of their minds. They've been to these type of meetings before. It was just Block going on for about an hour telling everyone here how terrible they are. Cavendish usually tries to pay attention. To at least try to listen to what he has been doing wrong and improve, but Block is never happy with whatever he does.

Across where he is sitting is Dakota. He also looks bored out of his mind. When Dakota noticed Cavendish looking at him, he smiled and wiggled his eyebrows.

Cavendish rolled his eyes and tried to pay attention to Block. Suddenly he felt something touch his leg. It startled him but seeing Dakota silently giggle made him realize what just happened. Cavendish crossed his arms and gave his partner an annoyed. When he turned to look at Block again, he felt something touch his leg again.

Cavendish kicked Dakota's leg away.

He can hear Dakota chuckle.

Soon after, he can feel Dakota's foot sliding up his leg. Looking at him, Dakota had his head resting on his hand and he was wiggling his eyebrows.

Cavendish kicked him away again and gave him a 'WTF' look.

Dakota had a really hard time keeping quiet. He had to cover his mouth to stop himself from bursting out laughing.

SLAM!

That startled both Dakota and Cavendish.

Turns out Block slammed his hands against the table, "WHAT ARE YOU TWO IDIOTS DOING?!"

"Uhhhh..." Dakota wasn't sure what to say.

"N-nothing Mr. Block!" Cavendish sheepishly smiled.

"Hampshire and Cooperdink! You two are the most incompetent people in this room!" Block shouted, "Not only have you two failed every single mission I've given you, you constantly disobey orders! The least you can do is pay attention!"

"Sorry, Mr. Block!" Cavendish apologies.

"Anyway," Block growled, "How hard is it to preserve Dodo birds? I don't understand what's so hard about that? They are flightless birds!"

Cavendish looked over at Dakota. He had an apologetic pout on his face. Cavendish glanced away and huffed. He waited a moment to make sure Block is off their radar before kicking Dakota's leg.

Dakota had a surprised look before it changed into a challenging one.

They were more discreet, but they are definitely kicking each other under the table. When Block would glare at them, they'd stop for a moment to make sure they wouldn't get caught.

"All you low life can leave the room now if you're smart enough to find the exit!" Block dismissed and made his way to the door. Everyone else got up and started to leave with their heads down.

"Hm?" Cavendish looked around.

Apparently, the meeting is over.

Dakota has a goofy smile.

Cavendish got up and walked next to him, giving him a quick nudge and a smile as they walked out the door.

They were probably the only ones who left that meeting with a smile.


	25. Catendish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Dakota's turn to go to the island, but a cat caught his attention.

Cavendish and Dakota are spying on Brick and Savannah. They are the ones now stuck with their mission.

Protecting pistachios.

But since pistachios once took over the world in the future, Cavendish and Dakota made it their goal to stop that from ever happening. Everything was going fine, until...

"There's no clearing. Nothing! We can't sabotage their mission without being spotted," Cavendish complained.

"Yeah. They're good," Dakota replied.

"Pissst." A voice came from the bush behind them. Cavendish didn't hear it, but Dakota did. He quietly went to check it out. "Hey." Turns out it's a different version of him. Which means Cavendish died somehow.

"Awe man, how?" Dakota asked.

"Milo came around and you know, Murphy's law and stuff," future Dakota gave him a postcard and a bus ticket. "Pistachio cart went rogue and slammed right into Cav. Which knocked him on to the road. Which also caused him to get hit by a car. Surprisingly, he was still alive. Up until a sign from a nearby fast food joint fell on him."

"Ouch. Did the kid see it?"

"Nah, he was on his way out when it happened."

Dakota nodded.

"Okay, uhhh. Send me a postcard and stuff. I gotta get back to Cav before he notices I'm gone."

And with that, the future Dakota took his place and now it is his turn to go to the island.

He looked down at the bus ticket and postcard. It is happening. It is his turn. Of course, eventually it would be his turn, but he was always the one going back in time until now. Well. That's how it was. The original Dakota would always stay with Cavendish. He used to be the original Dakota. Up until he got split into two and he wasn't the lucky one to stay with Cavendish. But in a way, he is lucky. He didn't have to see Cavendish die again.

Some might think it was a terrible idea to do what he is doing. Mainly because he remembers every single one of Cavendish's death. Some may say it would be better if the one who witnessed the death would go to the island. But he did what he did because the one who saw Cavendish died would know exactly how to stop it. Also, seeing Cavendish die over and over again made it less traumatic. The last reason was... It was a bit like a punishment. This Dakota wasn't able to stop Cavendish from getting hurt so he has to go to the island. The future Dakota gets to stay because he went back in time to save him.

But here he is. It is his turn. He mentally prepared himself for when this would happen. But he couldn't help but feel empty. He no longer has a purpose. He is going to spend the rest of his life on an island with other versions of himself whether he wanted to or not.

Dakota walked without really knowing where to go. He could go to the bus stop, but the bus wouldn't be there for another hour. He will be bored out of his mind if he had to spend an hour waiting for the bus. All he knew is that he couldn't be here, or else Cavendish might see him. So that's what he did. He just walked around the city with no clear destination.

Since money wouldn't really have a value on the island. He figured that he may as well buy a snack. He sat at the edge of the sidewalk and ate a tuna sandwich. The sandwich didn't taste good. But it didn't taste bad. It tasted bland. Maybe it wasn't the sandwich. He is just in a down mood to the point that food didn't even cheer him up.

"Meow." A small, quiet, high pitch sound came from the ally behind him.

Dakota looked for what made that sound. Obviously, it sounded like a cat, but he couldn't see it. Soon, he heard a trashcan shift around. Dakota decided to go check out the noise. When he approached the trashcan, the cat ran to the corner of the ally and went into a defensive pose. It was the cat that reminded him of Cavendish. A gray cat that looks like it has a mustache. "Hey there." Dakota looked at his tuna sandwich then he got an idea. He opened it up and scooped out some tuna, "Here kitty."

The cat was cautious, but it is really skinny. It slowly approached him and accepted the offering.

"Awe, you're cute." Dakota watched the cat eat it and when there was no more, he gave it more. Soon, there's only a tuna sandwich without tuna. Dakota didn't want to finish the bread so he gave it to the cat. It licked some more tuna off of it. He didn't think that bread is good for cats so after it licked practically all the tuna off of it, he threw it out in a dumpster. "All right buddy, nice to see you again, but I should start heading off to the bus stop. Bye." Dakota waved at the cat and started making his way to the bus stop. It didn't take long until he realized that the cat is following him. "Shoo. I don't have more." But the cat kept following him. He actually didn't mind. He liked the extra company. But it's not like the cat would follow him all the way to the bus stop.

Apparently, he was wrong. The cat literally followed him for twenty minutes all the way to the bus stop.

Dakota smiled, "I admire your determination, but this is the end of the line. Can't follow me onto the bus. I don't think the bus driver wouldn't like that." He sat down on the bench. The cat joined him. It went onto his lap.

Oh no.

He is overcome with cuteness.

He couldn't stop himself.

He had to pet it.

And of course.. It started to purr.

"Awwww! You are so cute! All I did was give you tuna. I don't deserve this." Dakota's smile went away when he saw the bus turning the corner. It is almost time for him to get onto the bus. "Awe... Sorry buddy..." Dakota carefully lifted the cat and put it next to him on the bench. He was about to get up, but, the cat quickly went back onto his lap, "Hey, no, sorry, gotta go." He was going to move the cat back onto the bench, but, he did something stupid instead, "Fine, get in." He unzipped his jacket. He didn't even have to do anything. The cat quickly jumped right in. The cat felt cold against his stomach, which was probably the reason why it wanted to go into his jacket.

CCCCCHHHHHHH! The bus stopped right in front of him.

He tried to look as casual as he could when he entered the bus. No one suspected a thing.

Actually... In the middle of the bus ride, the cat meowed and the person next to him gave him a weird look. He just sheepishly smiled back.

Later, they are on the boat. When he moved onto a smaller boat, he let the cat out of his jacket.

The cat did not like the boat ride to the island.

Dakota felt bad about that. When they reached the island, the cat jumped off and ran into the woods, "No! Wait!"

This was a bad idea.

Now he felt terrible. He spent a good hour looking for the cat before giving up. He made his way to where ever he needed to go. When he came across a wooden gate. He knocked on it.

No answer.

He opened it.

That's when he saw a bunch of himselves in a group huddling around something.

"How did that poor thing get on the island?" A random Dakota asked.

"I dunno."

"It's so cute! Can we keep him?"

"I don't see why not."

"No! Pets aren't allowed. Especially not one that's not from this island."

Dakota pushed his way past the other Dakotas.

A Dakota with a mask looked at him, "Oh shoot, are you the new guy? We had this whole thing planned. But.... We got distracted..."

"Alright, move it," Dakota pushed aside some more of themselves.

"Meow!"

Dakota smiled, "There you are!"

The cat ran up to him and started to lick his hands. He probably still smelled like tuna.

"Wait, he's your cat? I didn't know we were allowed pets! I would've totally gotten a corgi before coming here!" A Different Dakota commented.

A Dakota wearing a leather vest spoke up, "This environment isn't good for pets. Let alone, a defenceless cat,"

Dakota picked up his cat, "He's not defenceless."

"Yes, it is. It's been declawed."

"Hm?" Dakota checked for himself. He is right. The cat had no claws. What kind of cruel person would abandon a cat that's been declawed? He can't fend for himself. He needed someone to protect him. Just like Cavendish.

"This place isn't fit for it. Next time we export laceless shoes, we'll take it with us and bring it to a pet store or something."

"No! I can take care of him," Dakota protested.

The Dakota wearing the leather vest leaned towards him. "You failed to protect Cavendish. What makes you think you can protect this cat?"

That hurt.

"Woah woah woah," a Dakota with a beard intervened, "He just lost his Cavendish. Be nice."

The Dakota wearing a leather vest lifted his hands up in defeat, "Pffff. Fine, just don't cry and whine when it gets eaten by a cougar. And when that happens, it'll all be your fault."

Dakota stayed quiet. He held the cat closer and looked at him. He's the one who brought him here. This cat is now his cat.

He is going to make sure that nothing... NOTHING with hurt this cat. He might have failed to keep Cavendish safe, but he will keep this cat safe. Nothing will ever hurt this poor creature ever again.

He'll make sure of it.


	26. Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dakota zones out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Slight shipping

Late night at the office.

They have some paperwork, but not much. Tomorrow is the weekend so they didn't mind staying in a little bit longer.

Dakota watched his partner from his desk. Cavendish wasn't wearing his hat or jacket, which, is a rare sight. He couldn't help but noticed the way Cavendish looked.

They were starting to become close friends but he still didn't really know much about Cavendish's personal life. Is he married? Sometimes time travellers remove their wedding bands when they're on missions. He has been in Cavendish's apartment before and that doesn't seem like he's married. It looked like he lived alone. Also, he never mentioned living with someone or being married. Maybe he used to be married? That seemed like something he would have mentioned. Does he have kids? That also seemed like something he would have brought up at some point.

Dakota looked at him up and down. He couldn't deny it, Cavendish is fit and health. He's a good-looking guy. There is no way he didn't at least have a girlfriend. But, by the way Cavendish acted, that didn't seem like that is the case. If he didn't have a girlfriend, why? He's a good catch. Any girl would be lucky to have him.

"Vinnie?" Cavendish spoke up.

Dakota snapped out of his thoughts, "Huh?"

"Did you want something? You were staring at me."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize I was staring..." Dakota looked away.

"It's fine," Cavendish looked back down at his paperwork.

Dakota looked at his paperwork. He wrote some stuff down until he started getting bored again. Before he knew it, his eyes wondered back to Cavendish. When he realized he is staring again, he tried to focus on his work. Now it felt wrong to look at him.

Cavendish leaned back against his chair, stretched, and yawned. It was getting late and he is starting to feel drowsy.

Dakota couldn't stop himself from looking. Watching Cavendish look sleepy made him smile. He looked cute.

...

...

...

Dakota's eyes widen. He forced himself to look at his paperwork. He could feel his face warming up. Did he seriously thought for a moment that his co-worker was cute? What is wrong with him?

Cavendish yawned again.

Cute.......

Dakota shook his head. He felt extremely weird. Was Cavendish doing this on purpose? There is no way he's accidentally acting so cute. He looked like a soft, sleepy, kitty. Thinking about that only made Dakota feel even more weird. His brain kept telling him to look at his paperwork but his eyes refused to cooperate.

Cavendish scribbled a few things on his paperwork, "Alright, I'm done," he looked up at Dakota.

Panic spread across his face before forcing his head to look down. He didn't want Cavendish to think he was staring at him again.

"What about you?"

"Uhhhh.... I... I still got some to do."

Cavendish got up, grabbed his jacket, swung it onto his shoulder, and walked over to Dakota's desk, "Are you feeling okay?"

Dakota felt a sting in his gut when Cavendish got closer to him. Even though he is staring at his work and Cavendish isn't even in his line of vision, he can feel Cavendish nearby.

"You can head home and I can finish it if you're not feeling well."

"Noamfine," Dakota mumbled quickly.

"Are you sure?"

He glanced up at Cavendish. That was a mistake. Why did he do that? "Uhhhh..." His chest started to hurt.

"Vinnie?"

"Uhhhhhh..." He can hear his voice sounded higher pitched.

Cavendish placed the back of his hand on Dakota's forehead, "You feel a little bit warm. Maybe you're starting to have a fever? Let's hope it's not the plague," Cavendish chuckled.

Dakota caved in and avoided eye-contact, "Yeah... I'm feeling a bit funky..."

"It's okay, go home, you can take the time vehicle, I'll use the Quantum Localizer to get home when I'm done," Cavendish slid the paperwork away from Dakota.

" _OooOokay_..." Dakota pushed himself up away from his desk. He needed to get out of here. "G-goodnight!" he stumbled towards the door.

"Goodnight!"

Dakota left the office. He took a deep breath. The cold night air helped him to calm down.

He slapped himself before making his way to the time vehicle. He never felt so... He didn't even know how to explain it. He never felt so _funky_ around Cavendish before. Dakota wasn't even sure what came over him.

He placed a hand on his forehead. It felt warm. Maybe Cavendish is right. Maybe he did catch a cold or something.


	27. Dr. Zone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota talk about Dr. Zone after watching the movie.

"I just don't understand. If Dr. Zone and Time Ape are related, does that mean we're related? Cause, they're kinda based on us, ya know?" Dakota asked.

Dakota and Cavendish both walked out of the movie theatre. After finding out that Dr. Zone is kind of based on them, they decided to check it out.

"How would I know? It's a ridiculous film. The time travel in it doesn't make any sense! I believe they only used our likeness for the characters' appearances and they made up everything else."

"You sure? I dunno, I might have to rethink my entire life if it turns out we're related."

"Last time I checked, you're not a trans-chronological being with an appearance that'll cause people's heads to explode an I'm not an alien cyborg."

"You have a point," Dakota took a sip of his soda, "But are you sure?"

Cavendish sighed, "I don't have any siblings and you're not British!"

Dakota shrugged, "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

Dakota leaned closer to Cavendish, "Are you sure you're not an alien?"

He pushed him away, "I'm sure."

"But that would make so much sense!"

Cavendish frowned, "And what do you mean by that?"

"Sometimes you don't even act human!"

Cavendish felt insulted, "What do you mean I don't act human?"

Dakota laughed.

"Dakota!"

"Okay seriously, you'd tell me if you were an alien, right?"

Cavendish rolled his eyes, "Yes, if I was an alien, I would tell you, however, I am not an alien."

"But that's exactly what an alien would say!"

"Well then... What do you want me to say?"

"I want the truth! And nothing but the truth!"

"Dakota! I am not an alien!"

"Okay, prove it! Who's your most favourite person in the world?"

Cavendish saw what Dakota is trying to do. He simply stuck out his tongue instead of answering his question.

Dakota chuckled, "Oh you are so mature."

"You're the one who wants me to stroke your ego."

Dakota smirked, "Does that mean I'm your most favouritest person it the world but you don't want to admit it?"

"Depends on which world you're talking about, since, apparently, I am an alien now."

Dakota dramatically gasped, "Are you admitting to being an alien?"

"This planet is nice. Also I do enjoy this human form," Cavendish winked at Dakota.

"Oh ha ha, you're joking right?"

Cavendish stayed silent.

"You just said you weren't an alien!"

"That's exactly what an alien would say."

"Okay, now I'm confused."

"Good! Now quit pestering me!" Cavendish scold.

Dakota took a sip of his drink, "Okay, but do you think the movie is kind of predicting our future? Are we going to have to fight robots and squid people?"

"Most likely not, that would be ridiculous."

Dakota leaned in closer to his partner, "What about living, walking, pistachios trees? Sounds like something made up, huh?"

Cavendish stopped and thought for a moment, "You do have a point."

"Alright! Let's get ready for aliens and robots! What are their weaknesses? Salt and water?"

"Why salt?"

"Doesn't that hurt squi- oh wait, that's slugs."

Cavendish rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure we'll think of something!"

"Yes, I'm sure we will."

"Okay, we got a bunch more stuff to watch. We need to watch The Dr Zone Files so we can know how to beat those aliens and robots. We can probably skip the movie Dr. Zone: Night of the Living Plants. Been there, done that, am I right?"

"Pardon?"

"There's more than one movie. Dr. Zone is a whole franchise! We got hours of stuff to watch!"

Cavendish sighed, "You're joking right?"

"You can come over to my place and watch em!"

Cavendish covered his face. "Only if you have tea and if you won't get upset if I fall asleep."

Dakota chuckled and smiled, "Okay dokey, but that means I'll have to go buy tea first."

Cavendish snickered, "Alright then."


	28. Secret Weapon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota checks out Brick and Savannah while they're out on pistachio duty.

"I hate this..." Brick growled.

Brick and Savannah are now on pistachio duty. They have to wear goofy pistachio related outfits.

"This is your fault," Brick glared at Savannah.

She rolled her eyes.

"If you didn't tattle on them-"

"Oh shut it! If I didn't tell Block, you would have! Do you think I knew we'd get stuck with their pointless mission?!" Savannah yelled back at him.

"Whatever! How hard can this mission be anyways?"

Savannah huffed and crossed her arms, then, she saw two familiar people nearby, "Don't look left."

"What's up?"

"Dumb and dumber are here."

"What should we do?"

"Ugh, they're coming this way," Savannah growled.

"Hey first-class trash," Dakota greeted.

"Dakota, don't be so rude," Cavendish scold.

Brick sighed, "What do you two want?"

"We're here to enjoy the view," Dakota smirked.

Brick leaned towards Dakota, "Take a picture, it'll last longer."

Snap.

Brick glared at Cavendish. He has his phone out and he is taking pictures.

Both Dakota and Cavendish giggled.

Savannah frowned, "Oh haha, now scram! We have a job to do!"

"Oh hey guys!" Milo stepped in.

"Milo!" Both Cavendish and Dakota greeted happily.

"Nice to see you two again!" Milo said with a smile.

"What are you doin' here kid?" Dakota asked.

"I saw the pistachio stand and thought I'd get some."

Cavendish and Dakota both gave each other a sly look before stepping away. "Go ahead, don't mind us," Cavendish grinned. They are now at a safe distance.

Brick and Savannah frowned.

"Hey!" Milo greeted, "One bag of pistachios please!"

"Coming right up," Savannah grabbed a scoop of pistachios and poured it into a bag. Right after, the tree next to them fell and crushed the pistachio cart within seconds. "Uh..." Savannah stood there holding the bag of pistachios.

"Whoops, sorry about that," Milo rubbed the back of his head. He used his other hand to grab the pistachio bag, "Thanks anyway," He dug into his pocket to take out some money, then, he handed it to Savannah who is still in shock. Milo turned away, "See you guys around!" Milo waved while he's walking away. He tripped but he quickly got back up again, "I'm okay!"

"Bye Milo!" Cavendish and Dakota waved.

"You two did this," Brick hissed.

"We were just standing over here doin' nothing!" Dakota raised his hands in defense.

"Yes, how could we have done that if we were over here?" Cavendish practically repeated. "Anywho, we must be on our way."

"Yeah, we're like super busy," Dakota continued.

"You two have gone rogue! It boggles my mind that Block didn't fire you two yet!" Brick shouted.

"Come now Dakota," Cavendish started to walk away. Dakota followed behind him.

"Ta-ta!" Dakota waved goodbye.

Both Brick and Savannah sighed.

Savannah kicked the now-broken pistachio cart. "I hate them. I hate this. I hate you."

Brick frowned, "What did I do?"

"I was serving the kid! You were supposed to keep an eye out or whatever!"

"How was I even suppose to stop a tree from falling even if I saw that it was about to fall?! You were the one who thought it was a good idea to set up here! If this was anyone's fault, it was yours!"

Savannah threw her hands in the air, "Whatever!"


	29. Swich Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish, Dakota, Brick, and Savanna switch partners for a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: A bit dark and graphic.

"Now you must be wondering," Block announced, "Why did I call you idiots here?"

Brick, Savannah, Cavendish, and Dakota are all standing in front of Mr. Block's desk in his office.

"Well, I'm bored."

Savannah glanced at the people around her, "You're kidding us, right?" 

"I noticed that as soon as I paired Hampshire with Cooperdink, they've failed every single mission I've assigned to them. So, let's see what'll happen if I paired you two," Block pointed at Savannah and Cavendish, "And I pare you two together," he pointed at Brick and Dakota.

"What, you can't do that," Dakota quickly disagreed.

"Sir, are you suggesting splitting us apart?" Cavendish asked.

"Yup," Block clarified.

Savannah spoke up, "So, you're saying that Cavendish is going to be my partner for the day?"

"Yup," Block repeated.

"Eh," Savannah shrugged, "It's better than being paired with him," Savannah pointed at Dakota with her thumb.

"Hmh," Brick huffed and glared at Dakota.

"Your mission," Block pointed at Brick and Dakota, "Is to protect pistachio at the farmers market," then he looked at Savannah and Cavendish, "You two," Block pulled out a wanted poster from under his desk, "We located the person who stole a time machine. He's been buying and stealing clocks. We suspect that he's trying to use the time juice in them to travel through time without a permit. I've already submitted the coordinates to your time vehicle. Your mission is to arrest him. Did I make myself clear?"

Brick intervened, "You can't be serious? You're giving me a mission to protect pistachios and you're pairing me with someone who wants to destroy them?"

"Yup. I'm sure I can trust you to make sure he doesn't sabotage the mission."

"Well yes but-"

Savannah grabbed the wanted poster and looked at Cavendish, "You heard him partner, let's go," she made her way towards the exit.

Cavendish smirked then followed her out the door. Before he left, he flashed a weak, unsure, smile towards Dakota and waved goodbye.

"This is no fair!" Brick protested, "She gets an actual mission and I'm stuck with pistachios?"

Dakota is having his own crisis. He hated being separated from Cavendish and now he's going on a real mission without him? And a part of him even felt betrayed because Cavendish didn't argue against the arrangement.

"Would you rather clean outhouses in the Renaissance?" Block suggested.

Brick opened his mouth to argue some more but decided to submit instead. He sighed, "Let's get this over with..."

And with that, he walked out the door with Dakota slowly following behind.

* * *

Dakota's and Brick's mission was mind-numbingly annoying and boring. They are at a farmers market selling pistachios. They are wearing goofy green and brown pistachio themed costumes.

"I don't understand how selling pistachios saves them," Brick commented.

"I think the point is we're spreading awareness or something about pistachios so that when they are in danger, people will go out of the way to save them? I dunno," Dakota shrugged. He isn't really paying attention. Brick is taking care of the costumes while he's looking at his phone.

Brick frowned, "What are you planning?"

"Hm?"

Brick raised his hands up, "It's been an hour! Aren't you going to destroy this thing or something?"

Dakota didn't even look up from his phone, "Eh."

"If you are, just do it now. I can't stand this anymore. This is demeaning."

That's when Dakota looked up from his phone, "Are you encouraging me to sabotage the mission?"

"Well, no. It's just. If you are going to, don't wait until we're almost done. Just do it! I don't want to be here for six hours and then you decide to destroy it!"

Dakota rolled his eyes. He looked back down at his phone.

"Would you put that thing away!" Brick grabbed Dakota's phone.

"HEY!" Dakota shouted in anger. He went for his phone but Brick kept it out of reach.

"We're on a mission!" Brick pushed Dakota's head away and looked at what was on his phone, "Woah, what's with all the texts? Seems a bit obsessive. Wait, these are for Cavendish? Who texts their co-worker like this? 'Cav, what's up? You busy? Hello? Why are you not answering? Are you and Savannah smooching? Cavvvv. Why you no reply? What's up?'-"

Dakota managed to swipe his phone back. "That's none of your business!"

"He's on a mission. He's not going to reply."

Dakota sighed, "I know, it's just, ugh!" He decided to put the phone in his pocket. If he isn't staring at it, maybe he could calm down a bit.

"What's the deal with you and Cavendish?"

Dakota felt uneasy, "What do you mean?"

"You were at least a competent agent before you got paired up with him. Ever since then, you've muck up every single mission you got."

"Eh, protecting pistachios is harder than it looks."

"Yeah, but you two had other non-pistachio related mission. But you still manage to muck those up too! It's like you two are worse together."

A flash of anger crossed Dakota's face, "We're not worse together! Cavendish is the best partner I ever had."

"You're kidding, right?"

Dakota crossed his arms.

Seeing this, Brick smirked, "Oh how cute. You two are buddies now? Too busy fooling around to accomplish a mission?"

"We don't 'fool around'! We take our missions very seriously." That isn't really true. Cavendish took their missions seriously, not him.

"You know, Block split up partners when he thinks they are too close. He does that because he doesn't want one of them to die and the other one to go back in time to save them."

Dakota looked away.

"Would you do that? For Cavendish?"

He didn't want to answer that question.

"I wouldn't do that for Savannah. She's my partner, nothing more. Because you're not answering the question, I have the feeling that your answer is yes. But you should think about it. Cavendish is a rule follower. Do you think he'd break the number one rule of time travel for you?"

Dakota stayed silent. The truth is he did think about that. He came to the conclusion that Cavendish wouldn't. When they first met. But now, he has a feeling that Cavendish would break that rule for him. Some of Cavendish's deaths happened because he put Dakota's life before his own.

"Ha. I think he wouldn't," Brick commented, "Pathetic, huh? You are so desperate to have some sort of friend that you've befriended someone who is forced to spend time with you to the point that you need him more than he needs you."

Now Dakota was starting to get really annoyed, "Shut up!"

"Why isn't he replying to your texts? It's probably because his mission is more important than you."

Dakota didn't need this right now. He turned around and walked away without another word.

"Hey! Your mission is to protect these pistachios too! Don't wander off because you know what I said is true!"

Dakota didn't look back. He needed some time alone. He didn't go far before he sat down on a bench and looked at his phone.

Still no reply. Cavendish didn't even look at his messages. Maybe he forgot his phone? Or maybe his real mission is more important than him.

..Or maybe something bad happened to him.

* * *

"You can't be serious?" Cavendish pouted.

"You heard me! Stay in the car, I'll be in and out and we're done. Got it?" Savannah ordered.

Cavendish crossed his arms, "I don't want to stay in the car."

"It'll be easier this way."

"What if you're in danger? How would I know if you need help?"

"Awe, you're cute. You don't know me at all, do you? I'm a first class agent for a reason. I don't get kidnap, I don't need back up, I'm fine on my own."

"Famous last words..."

Savannah chuckled, "Seriously, I'll be fine."

"I'll give you twenty minutes before I go in to help."

Savannah thought for a moment then nodded, "Sounds good. I can get the guy in ten."

Cavendish sighed, "Alright, be careful."

"Yeah whatever, just stay in the car," Savannah turn away and walked towards the abandoned building.

Cavendish is quickly bored out of his mind. He kept looking at the time on his phone to see if twenty minutes has gone by.

1 minute went by.

Another minute went by.

Ding!

He looked at the notification at the top of his phone. Apparently, Dakota sent him a text. Cavendish let out a small laugh. He knew that Dakota is probably bored out of his mind too. Before he tapped on it, something slammed against his car door.

SLAM!

That startled Cavendish so much he dropped his phone.

"WHO ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" a man shouted at him.

Cavendish leaned away from the car door. He wasn't sure what to say, "Uhhh..."

"YOU WORK FOR THE TIME POLICE, DON'T YOU?!"

"Calm down!" Cavendish put his hands up to show the man he wasn't armed.

"Lo **O** K! Just.. **G** ive _m_ E a BR **E** AK _okAY!?_ " There was panic in the man's voice, "L **E** Ave ME ALONE! GET OUT OF HERE!"

This man is definitely out of his mind. "Don't worry, I am not here to harm you. We are only here to confiscate the stolen time machine," Cavendish lied.

" ** _WE?!_ ** IS- _is_ -is someone _else_ here?!" the man looked around frantically.

Whoops, he shouldn't have said that. He needs to think properly before saying anything, "Sir! Calm down. Everything is okay."

"NO! Every _thing is_ NOT ok **A** Y!..." He put his hands on his head, "You- you know what?! None of this _matters!_ I'm going to undo EVERYTHING and then everything will be normal, _everything_ will be okay."

Cavendish didn't like the sound of that.

The man lowered his arms and gave a blank look at Cavendish, "You're not going to stop me..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun.

Uh oh.

Cavendish ducked his head and covered his ears.

BANG!

The man shot at the car window. There is a large crack but the window stopped the bullet. It is bulletproof.

The man got more mad. "AaaaA **A** A **H** H **H** _!_ " He shot three more times but the bullets didn't go through. Then he stopped.

Cavendish looked up only to see the man swing a crowbar at the window.

SLAM!

"JUST L **E** A **VE**!" The man shouted before slamming the crowbar against the door again. He paused to catch his breath. Before be could hit the car again, Savannah slammed her body against the man, pinning him against the car.

"You are under arrest! Anything you do or say can and will be used against you!" Savannah shouted.

The man pushed himself away from the car with all his strength. He turned around and swung the crowbar at Savannah. That's when Savannah made a big mistake. Instead of dodging it, she raised her arm to block the attack. She didn't see the crowbar.

"GAH!" She shouted in pain.

The man raised his arms to hit Savannah again but Cavendish jumped out of the car and knocked the man over. The man quickly squirmed out of Cavendish's grip. He ran off but Cavendish is determine to chase him down. The man dropped his crowbar and turned around revealing his gun. Cavendish froze. The man shot him three times before his gun jammed. He panicked, "I-I-I I **T** O **ld** _YOU_ TO **LE** AVE! AHH **H**!" The man shouted before running off.

Savannah started to run after the man before stopping, raising her ray gun, then zapping him.

The man fell to the ground.

Savannah had to catch her breath before catching up to the guy. He twitched twice before laying still. She used her foot to turn over the man so that she can check for a pulse.

Nothing.

Savannah sighed. She always would rather arrest their target instead of shooting them down. But this time, this man was unstable. Savannah stood back, "He's gone," she turned around to see Cavendish bend down on the ground clutching his chest. "Oh no. Please tell me you're wearing a bulletproof vest."

Cavendish coughed up blood.

"I'll take that as a no. Ugh, hold on, I got some stuff in the back." Savannah ran to the trunk of the limo and took out a first aid kit. She took charge right away. Kneeling next to Cavendish and turning him over onto his back. There are two gunshots in his chest and one in his shoulder. "This won't take long." Savannah took off his jacket and vest. Cavendish started to protest when she got to the shirt, but he couldn't really fight back. She unbuttoned his shirt but left it on.

"AAaah! It hurts!" Cavendish struggled to breathe.

"Of course it does! What? Is this your first time getting shot?" Looking at Cavendish's reaction, that confirmed that he never got shot before.

"Am... Am I going to die?"

Savannah opened up her first aid kit and put on some rubber gloves, "Ugh, no you're not," She pulled out a cylinder shape device, "Look, I get shot all the time. One of the great perks of being a first class agent." She pressed the device above one of Cavendish's wounds. Two small clamps came out of the device and reached into Cavendish to pull out the bullet. She moved the device above her hand to grab the bullet before putting the device back on the same wound. While it's cleaning out the wound, Cavendish flinched from the pain. "Hold still."

"I'm really not feeling well..."

"You'll be fine."

Cavendish coughed, "If... If I don't make it, could you tell Dakota-"

"Oh zip it! For the last time, you're not going to die." After the device cleaned out Cavendish's wound, it started to 3D print a layer of skin tissue to cover the wound. When it was done, Savannah moved the device to the other wound on Cavendish's chest.

Cavendish's eyelids felt heavy. When he let them drop, not even a second later he got a strong slap across the face from Savannah. That woke him up. "AAaaahh!"

"Stay alert you idiot! I thought you wanted to live!" Savannah scold. She finished patching up the second wound and moved on to the last one on his shoulder. "I'm almost done. Then we can get some ice cream or something."

Cavendish tried his best to stay awake, even if his body was begging him to close his eyes. He got a quick flick on his forehead from Savannah.

"Alright, you're good as new. Get up," She tossed the device back into the first aid kit and took off her gloves.

"P-pardon?"

"I'm done," she grabbed Cavendish's jacket and vest and tossed it on top of him.

Cavendish sat up. He is feeling much better, but he still felt like he got hit by a truck.

Savannah handed Cavendish a pill and a water bottle, "For the pain," Savannah explained.

Cavendish accepted it right away.

Savannah walked over to the man that shot Cavendish. He hasn't moved. She lifted him up and dragged him to the back of her time vehicle, dusting off her hands afterwards. She sat at the driver's seat of the car, "You coming or what?"

"Give me a moment," Cavendish button up his shirt then put on both his vest and his jacket. He took a deep breath before standing up and stumbling toward the passenger seat. He slowly sat down.

"Do you want to get some ice cream? Would that make you feel better?"

"No... I just need to lye down."

Savannah frowned, "Just... Keep your eyes open for another hour or two. I don't want you falling asleep and never waking up again."

"I wonder what has gotten into that man."

Savannah shrugged, "Who knows?" She fished through the glove compartment and pulled out a quantum localizer. "Hang tight, I'll be back in a couple seconds. I found the time machine that the guy stole. I'll just bring it into the future real quick and use this thing to get back, kay?"

Cavendish nodded.

* * *

Dakota got up and walked back to the pistachio cart.

"Oh, you're back." Brick greeted.

"Are we almost done?" Dakota asked.

"I am almost done. Thirty more minutes. Please tell me you didn't come back just to destroy the pistachio cart."

"No..."

"Any word from BFF?"

Dakota rolled his eyes, "That's none of your business."

"I'll take that as a no. Looks like Savannah cares more about me than he cares about you. Got a text from her saying they're done their mission."

Dakota quickly reached for his phone to check if Cavendish replied.

Nothing.

He put his phone back into his pocket, "How did the mission go?"

"She said there were some bumps in the road but they accomplished it."

Dakota flinched, "Bumps in the road?"

"That's all she said."

Dakota mumbled. A smashing noise caught his interest. From across the farmers' market, he saw Milo, "Hey Murphy!" he called out.

That caught Milo's attention, "Oh hey! Have you seen Zack and Melissa?"

"Nah, want some pistachios?"

"No thank you! I'm sort of in a hurry, sorry!"

"No problem, see ya!"

"Bye!" Milo ran off to look for his friends.

Dakota took a step back and waited.

"What are you doing?" Brick asked.

"Hoping for a little bit of Murphy's Law."

"What?"

A horse ran towards them with a rope dragging behind it. It ran passed their cart. The rope has a hook on the end of it. It attached itself to the cart which caused it to get drag along with the horse.

"WHAT?" Brick raised his hands, "HOW?!"

"Alright," Dakota put his hands in his pockets, "Let's report back."

Brick sighed in defeat.

* * *

Savannah and Cavendish are waiting outside of Block's office. They reported what happened. Now they're waiting for their original partners to arrive. Even though Cavendish said no, Savannah still dragged him with her to get some ice cream. When he found out that they had green tea flavoured ice cream, he decided to get some. On their way to report back, Savannah explained that the first time she got shot, her then partner took her out for ice cream.

He felt a bit unprofessional talking to Block while holding ice cream, but because Savannah was doing the same and because Block wasn't yelling at them, it didn't feel too weird. Block was even apologetic for not being aware of how unstable their target was. If he knew how unstable that person was, he would have made sure Cavendish left with a bulletproof vest.

Now here he is, waiting for Dakota.

Out of nowhere, Savannah started giggling.

"Hm?" Cavendish questioned.

"Oh!" Savannah tried to hide her smile, "Nothing."

Cavendish frowned, "I do not believe you."

Savannah raised a hand, "Okay okay, you got ice cream, like, all over your mustache," she pointed out.

"I do?" Cavendish attempted to look down at his mustache, but of course, he couldn't see. It only made him looked crossed-eyed.

Savannah laughed even more.

Cavendish took out a handkerchief and cleaned himself up.

"You guys got ice cream?" Brick asked in disbelief.

"Maybe," Savannah shrugged and licked her ice cream.

Soon after Brick stepped into their view, Dakota appeared behind him. "Cavendish!" He's surprise to see that he is actually okay. He ran towards him but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the red marks on his suit.

Cavendish smiled, "Hello, Dakota! How did the mission go?" he gasped, "Oh! I think you messaged me. I almost forgot! Blast!" He took out his phone and checked. There is a couple of messages he missed from Dakota, "My apologize! I was going to reply but I got preoccupied."

Dakota is pale. He couldn't stop staring at the blood on Cavendish's suit.

"Dakota?" Cavendish then realized what he is looking at, "OH! Mmhmm, I got shot three times, don't worry, I'm okay now."

"WHAT?" Dakota shouted in disbelief.

"It's okay, Savannah patched me up."

"Yeah I did," Savannah smirked and pointed to herself.

"How did your mission go?" Cavendish asked again.

Brick spoke up, "A horse dragged our pistachio cart across town, slowly destroying it as it was dragged on the ground."

"What?" Savannah lifted an eyebrow.

Brick lowered his head, "I know..."

Block stepped out of his office, "You two failed your mission?"

Brick sighed, "It wasn't our fault! A horse got caught on the pistachio cart!"

"Ugh... Fine whatever, you guys can go back to your arranged partners." Block walked passed all of them.

"That's it?" Brick asked.

"Switching you guys up wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. Got bored of it really quick. I'm going to give one of our unpaid interns a mission and see how that goes."

After Block is out of sight, Brick facepalmed himself, "You got to be kidding me... I think Block is losing it."

Savannah shrugged, "Probably." Both Savannah and Brick started to walk off, "Now tell me, how did a horse ruin your mission."

Cavendish finished his ice cream, "Onwards Dakota, I want you to tell me everything about your mission!"

"You're joking, right? Whatever happened to you is way more interesting than what happened to me! You got shot! And you're still alive!" Dakota exclaimed.

Cavendish chuckled, "Pfffff, don't be ridiculous! That's not interesting at all."

Dakota smiled, "Come on partner, let's get somethin' to eat."

Cavendish glared at Dakota, "I just had ice cream."

"But I didn't!"

Cavendish smirked, "Only if I can change first. I don't think red is a good colour on me."

"Okay," Dakota is a bit relief that Cavendish wants to change first. He is right. Red is definitely not a good colour on him.


	30. Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota talk about crushes.

They are in the B.O.T.T's break room. They didn't go there often since it mostly consists of first-class agents talking about their thrilling time travelling adventures. But, Hildegard recently got promoted to the status of first-class and because of that, someone bought pizza.

Dakota gladly took some slices but Cavendish only took one. He felt like he didn't deserve it. The pizza is for her and her friends, not him.

Cavendish is a bit bummed out. He had a small crush on Hildegard for a while now. She is always nice to him when they passed each other in the hallway. He even had dreams about her. But of course, she didn't feel the same way. Now that she's a first-class agent, he has no shot with her. She is now way out of his league.

Everyone is congratulating her. She looks really happy.

"This pizza is pretty good," Dakota commented when he finished his third slice.

Cavendish continued to stare at Hildegard.

"Cavendish?" Dakota looked down at his pizza slice, "Are you gonna eat that?"

Cavendish sighed.

That's when Dakota realized that Cavendish is staring at Hildegard. "Oh come on! Cav!" Dakota shooked his partner to get his attention.

Cavendish pushed him away, "What?"

"I don't even understand why you like her."

Cavendish rolled his eyes.

Dakota didn't know Cavendish had a crush on anyone until Cavendish fell asleep at his desk. Apparently, he talked in his sleep. His dreams seem to consist of him asking her out and her rejecting him. Ouch. He couldn't even get her in his dreams. This silly crush never really bothered him before up until now. Mainly because he just didn't understand what Cavendish likes about her. Now, his partner is all sad because of her.

"You have pizza. Pizza is good. Eat the pizza," Dakota tried to distract him.

Cavendish sighed. That did seem to work. Instead of staring at Hildegard, he looked down at his pizza.

"What's your deal? So what if Hildegard is a first-class agent now?"

"She'll be moved into a different department. I won't see her in the hallway anymore."

"Oh well, boohoo. She doesn't even like you."

That stung. He already knew that she didn't like him back, he didn't need Dakota to rub salt in the wound, "Haven't you ever had a crush on someone before?"

Dakota thought for a moment. The truth is, not really. He did like flirting with women. It's always nice to see them smile and laugh. He even likes to flirt with Savannah because he knows it annoys her. But that was all it was, flirting. He never really met someone that he fell head over heels for.

"Dakota?" Cavendish looked at him.

He shrugged, "Eh."

Cavendish frowned. Then, he went back to staring at Hildegard. She's laughing at something someone said. She looked really cute.

"Hey, no, bad." Dakota waved his hand in front of Cavendish's face.

"There's no harm in looking at her. Who knows? Maybe I won't see her again."

"You see Brick and Savannah all the time! They're first-class agents. Stap being so dramatic."

Cavendish faced Dakota again, "Vinnie, haven't you ever had someone that was constantly on your mind? A person that whenever you see them, you smile? Someone that sneaks into your dreams?"

Dakota looked down. Someone that he constantly think of is Cavendish. A person that always made him smile is his partner. He did always have dreams of him, but most of those dreams where nightmares of him dying.

"You do know what I'm talking about!"

"Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me, I saw your expression change. You're such a hypocrite," Cavendish looked around before leaning closer to Dakota. "Who do you have a crush on?"

"N-no one!"

"I know who..."

Dakota's eyes widen, "I-I don't have a crush on anyone!"

Cavendish placed his hand on his partner's shoulder and pulled him closer to him, "Savannaaaaahhhh," he whispered.

Dakota felt a wave of goosebumps wash over him. Cavendish had a stupid grin on his face. He is close to him. Really close.

Dakota's flustered reaction confirmed what Cavendish was thinking of. He leaned back, "I knew it!" Cavendish patted him on the back, "It seems like I'm not the only one with a crush on someone out of my league."

"I don't have a crush on her."

"Maybe you do have a shot with her, sometimes you can be quite charming in your own unique way. You should ask her out."

"As if she'd say yes! This is Savannah we're talking about."

Cavendish frowned, "You do have a point, but it never hurts to speak your mind. If you like someone, you should tell them. What's worse than being rejected is not knowing if those feelings are required. That can eat you up with regret if something, or someone, comes between the relationship."

"Whatever. I don't want to be a love-sick joke like you. As if I'd look longingly at someone wishing they'd notice me!" Dakota said that in a mocking/dramatic way.

"I am a fool, aren't I?" Cavendish went back to looking at Hildegard.

"Oh come on! Not this again, your pizza is getting cold! Think of the pizza!"

Cavendish ignored him.

"If you don't eat it, I guess I'll have to sacrifice myself to give it the farewell it deserves."

Cavendish continued to ignore him.

"Cav. Cav. Cav. Cav. Baltazar. Balll. Balltttyyy." Dakota frowned. It was clear that his partner is ignoring him. Hildegard wasn't even looking their way. She's too busy talking to a bunch of people. She didn't deserve Cavendish's attention.

Dakota decided that he'll swipe his pizza slice to get his attention.

He took it.

Cavendish didn't even flinch.

"There's no more pizza, this is the last slice. I'm gonna eat it!"

Still nothing.

"Cav!" He decided to shake him to get his attention.

Cavendish swatted him away.

"Pfffff..." He looked down at the pizza slice. If Cavendish wasn't going to eat it, he may as well have it. He took a bite of it.

That's when Cavendish realized that Dakota stole his pizza, "Hey!"

Dakota handed the slice to him, "What it back?"

Since Dakota already took a bite of it, Cavendish wasn't interested in it anymore, "Erm, I'll pass."

"What? Scared of my germs?"

"I'm not hungry anymore." Then, again, he went back to looking at his crush.

"Yeah you are, just not for pizza. Ya hungry for Hildegaaaaaaarrdddd!"

"Shut it!" Cavendish hissed.

That definitely got Cavendish's attention. It might be negative attention, but it is still attention, "What? You don't want the whole room to know that YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON-"

Cavendish quickly covered Dakota's mouth. "Are you out of your mind?" Cavendish silently growled. He hastily glanced at Hildegard. That's when he saw that she, and other people, are looking at them. Cavendish quickly looked away in embarrassment.

Of course, Dakota is Dakota. He came up with the brilliant idea to lick Cavendish's hand.

Cavendish quickly let go of Dakota's mouth, "Ek, gross!" He wanted to wipe his hand on his pants, but he didn't want to get Dakota's saliva on them.

He wasn't sure what to do.

People are still looking at them.

Seeing Cavendish's reaction to what he did, Dakota couldn't stop himself from laughing.

Cavendish embarrassingly smiled until the people around him found something else to pay attention to. "Vinnie, that wasn't funny," he growled at his partner, "You didn't have to humiliate me in front of everyone."

"It was for your own good. Ya gotta get over this stupid crush."

"Why do you even care? I'm not hurting anyone and this doesn't even affect you."

Dakota pouted. In a weird way, it did affect him. If Cavendish somehow ended up dating her, he'll become the third wheel. He'll have to share Cavendish's attention. If Cavendish had a girlfriend, no more hanging out together after work and no more late night calls. And if they ended up having kids? He'll barely even see him outside of work!

Things are fine the way they are right now.

Cavendish got up and walked to the sink in the break room. He washed his hands. Then, he went over to Hildegard. They talked for a bit. Afterwards, she hugged him.

For some reason, that annoyed Dakota. If she didn't like him back, why did she hug him? Was she leading him on? Purpously playing with his emotions? Why would she do that?

When they were done talking, Cavendish went back to their table. He had a stupid love-sick grin plastered on his face.

"She's totally leading you on."

"It's called being nice."

"She hugged you."

Cavendish smirked, "Yes, I know."

Usually, Dakota kind of liked it when Cavendish is happy, but right now, it was annoying him. He didn't even know how to feel about this. To him, it is weird that Cavendish had a crush on someone. It almost felt unnatural. 

Dakota took a bite of his pizza. For some reason, it didn't taste as good as the ones he had earlier.

Probably because it's cold now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of wonder if we'll ever see Hildegard or was she just a one-off joke? Do you guys remember her? It was in the Halloween episode. Cavendish was dreaming about her.


	31. Judgment Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish meets an odd guy in a cafe.

Cavendish is at a small cafe. He doesn't drink coffee often, but he enjoyed this place because they also sold tea. He's there to order a cup, but, before he could pay for his drink, the person behind him walked up to the counter, "It's on me, also, could I get a donut? Maple Dip please."

Cavendish was surprised, "Oh you don't have too."

"It's fine, do you have time to talk?" The man asked. This man had a hoodie that's covering his face and he is dressed all in black.

Because he couldn't really see the man, it made him uneasy. Against his better judgment, he accepted his request, "I do have some time to spare." The man took the bag with his donut and handed the tea over to Cavendish. That's when Cavendish also noticed that the man is wearing black gloves. That is odd. It isn't cold enough to wear gloves.

The man walked towards the furthest table in the restaurant. Cavendish followed behind and took a seat. His tea was too hot to drink yet.

The man took his donut out of the bag and took a bite of it. He didn't even take off his gloves. Cavendish thought that was really unusual.

"Hello, my name is Baltha-"

"Balthazar Tea Cavendish, I know."

"Oh... You know who I am?"

"Yes."

Cavendish felt a little bit awkward. He had no idea who this man is, "You do? My apologies, I don't believe I know who you are."

"You don't."

"Alright?.." Even though his tea is too hot, he tested it to give himself something to do.

"What's so special about you?"

Cavendish paused, "I... Don't know what you mean by that."

"Hmh..." The man took another bite of his donut. Or at least, that's what Cavendish assumed. He couldn't really see the man take a bite of the donut. His hoodie is hiding his face.

Cavendish tapped the table, "Who are you? Erm, what's your name?"

"That's not important."

"Hmmmh...." That reply only made Cavendish feel even more uneasy.

"I'm just wondering why you're still here."

Cavendish looked at him, "You wanted to talk, that's why I'm here, heh heh..." Cavendish awkwardly chuckled.

"That's not what I meant. Nevermind." He took another bite of his snack, "Tell me, who are you?"

"Balthazar Cavendish, you already know that... I work for the government, I'm a time traveller." Since they are in the future, it is okay to tell people you are a time traveller. It is a career after all. A career that requires twenty years of college and no criminal record. Not even a speeding ticket. Harsh, but having the ability of time travel is a power that takes a lot of responsibility.

"Hmmm, interesting, time traveller."

"Yes... It is quite an interesting career. I've been to prehistoric times all the way to now. I have even been on the Titanic."

"Fascinating!"

"How about you?"

"It's not as glamorous as a time traveller. Let's just say I judge people."

"Oh, are you a judge? I used to be a lawyer."

"Not that kind of judge."

"Oh," Cavendish glanced away.

"I have to tell if someone is a good person or not. That's my job."

"Seems like a very difficult job."

"Really? Why so?" The man asked.

"It is hard to tell if someone is a good person or not. If someone took someone else's life in self-defence, are they still a good person even though they took someone's life away? Or if someone sees someone else dying and they choose not help them, did they commit manslayer by simply deciding not to help? What if the person who's dying is a criminal? By helping that person, they continue to live their life of crime because you saved them. Also, what if your job is to electrocute criminals? Are you a terrible person because you took the lives of several people or are you good because they were bad people. What if there were some innocent people and you were the one who took their life? What if you were the judge who determined a person was guilty of a crime that they didn't commit? Ruining that person's life for something they didn't do."

"That's... Very interesting. You seem to understand how difficult this job can be."

That made Cavendish smile and cause some of the uneasiness to go away. He is a sucker for anyone who sent praise his way. "What kind of impression are you getting from me? Am I a good person or not?"

"If I were to judge you..." the man looked up and down at Cavendish. "I'd say you are leaning towards being a good person."

"How about yourself?"

Even if Cavendish couldn't see the man's face, he can tell that caught him off guard, "Me?"

"Yes."

"I... It's not fair for someone to judge themselves."

Cavendish looked at the man, "I'd say you're a good person," Cavendish said with a smile.

"You don't even know who I am."

Cavendish took a sip of his tea, "You paid for my drink," Cavendish shook his drink, "And I'm a stranger, you didn't have to do that."

"Hmmm..." He looked around in the restaurant, "What about that man over there?" he pointed to a man is a suit. That man looked impatient as he waited for his coffee.

"That is not fair."

"Hmh?"

"You can't judge someone simply by looking at them. I have no idea what that person is like."

"You just claimed I'm a good person. You don't know me."

"I was allowed to interact with you. If I was allowed to talk to that person, then it would be easier."

"I think he's a bad person."

Cavendish frowned, "But you don't know anything about him."

"Look at his posture, he's getting frustrated the longer it takes for him to get his coffee."

"He could be late for an important meeting."

"And how would you know that?"

Cavendish looked at the man, "He's well dressed. He could be a businessman."

"If he is late for a meeting, he wouldn't be here ordering coffee."

"Meetings can be stressful, it's possible that he didn't sleep well the night before and now he's exhausted," Cavendish explained.

"Now you're just making up a backstory for a man you don't even know."

"You're assuming a person is terrible because they're not having a good day."

"And how do you know he's not having a good day?"

Cavendish looked at the businessman again, the man took his coffee, paid for it, and hurried out the door, "See? He's definitely late for something."

"He didn't have to be rude. It's not like the employees can make the machine pour the coffee faster."

"That's true, however, when you're in a hurry, or if you're having a bad day, the smallest things can annoy you. Things that you can't control."

"Hmh..."

Cavendish sighed, "I have a question for you."

The man nodded.

"What if someone was a terrible person all their life, but the last year of their life, they changed and became an incredibly nice person. Is that person a good person or a bad person?"

"Bad."

"Really?"

"That's a simple question. They spent most of their life as a bad person. Even if they spent a year being a good person, that doesn't balance things out."

"Alright, if someone was a good person for the majority of their life, but the last year of their life, they were a cruel person. Are they good or bad?

"Depends on how cruel the person was."

"What about the first question? You answered it without hesitation."

"Look, these are a bunch of what ifs... I can't judge properly. The good and the bad has to be balanced."

Cavendish drank some of his tea, "I don't believe that is true."

"How so?"

"If a person was a terrible person for several years, then they decided to become a good person, even if it was only for a year before they pass on, I'd say they were a good person because they decided to change and improve themselves."

The man finished his donut, "You have a point. Maybe one day you can do my job."

"Oh, I couldn't... Making that kind of decisions would eat me alive. What if I wrongly determine someone was bad person even though they were good?"

The man chuckled, "You just don't think about that, then you move on."

"Harsh..."

"It's a job that someone has to do."

"I suppose..."

"I'm just a bit confused, you are one of the people I'm supposed to judge and yet, you're still here."

"You're supposed to judge me? How come?" Than Cavendish got an idea, "Oh! Does this have something to do with me being a time traveller? Are you judging me on whether or not I am responsible enough to be a time traveller?"

The man looked at him, "Yes..."

This is interesting. Cavendish heard rumors of B.O.T.T sending undercover agents to make sure you're not misusing time travel, but he thought they were just rumors. "Oooooh! Did you do this with Dakota yet?"

"Dakota?"

"Yes, Vinnie Dakota!"

"Oh! Him... You know of him?"

"Yes!"

"Yes, I judged him."

"Not to be nosy, but what did you determine?" Cavendish cautiously asked.

"He's a bad person."

Cavendish gasped, "What?"

The man shrugged, "Yes?.. How would you judge him?"

"I'd say he's a good person."

"Why?"

"He's my partner! He... He's a good person... He might be a bit lazy and it is very irresponsible when he takes Brick and Savannah's gadgets, but he's not a bad person."

"He has committed several crimes."

"He has?"

"Yes."

Cavendish looked down at the table, "I'd still say he's a good person."

"Ha, maybe you're not suited for my job after all. Your human emotions are getting in the way of making proper decisions."

Cavendish frowned, "Human emotions? I'm sorry, but determining if someone is a good person or not, emotions have to be involved."

"No, emotions get in the way."

Cavendish took a sip of his tea and shrugged, "Maybe you're not a good person after all... You're right, I'm not good at judging people. Thank you for the tea," he got up from his seat and started walking towards the exit.

The man got up and followed Cavendish, "Now I'm a bad person because of my career?"

Cavendish lowered his shoulders, "My apologies, what I said was rude. You just hit a nerve when you claimed that the only person who is willing to spend time with me is a bad person."

"He might have been nice to you, but he wasn't a good person. That's just the truth."

"Vinnie is a good person..." Cavendish growled, "Whether you think so or not."

The man raised his hands, "Fine. He was dragging you down, you know that right?"

Cavendish was starting to get more frustrated, "He's not."

"Haven't you notice something different about you since you ever since you met him? You never missed a day of work and yet you skipped work to hang out with him."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm as bad as someone who took someone else's life because I decided to skip work."

"That's not what I meant."

"Go ahead! Tell Block that Dakota and I are bad people because if you have determined Vinnie is a bad person, then tell him I'm bad as well. He makes my job more tolerable, without him, I don't know what I'd do." Cavendish stormed out of the restaurant.

The man let him go this time. He wasn't sure what to think of Cavendish anymore. He isn't supposed to still be here, but for some reason, he is. He is a time traveller, that could be the reason. However, his partner is Dakota and for some reason, he's in the afterworld, and, somehow, he's still here as well.

Something doesn't seem to add up.


	32. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish gets trapped.

Cavendish suddenly opens his eyes.

It is dark and he didn't recognize his surroundings. Something is on his chest.

What happened and how did he get here?

Like a wave, the memories of what happened started to flood back to his mind.

It is the weekend.

Cavendish went over to Dakota's place to hang out. They were watching something on his holographic TV. Since it was late, it didn't take long for him to start to feel tired.

Did he fall asleep?

He looked around. The clock said it is two am.

Yup.

He defiantly fell asleep.

But what's on top of him?

Getting a better look, it is Dakota. Dakota fell asleep on top of him on the couch.

"Dakota," Cavendish whispered. He tapped him to wake him up, "Vinnie, wake up."

...Nothing.

"Dakota. Ughhhh..." Cavendish is still very tired. He needed to go home. Cavendish put his hand on Dakota's head to try to push him away but... It was so fluffy. Instead, he ended up petting it.

Cavendish is really comfortable, he couldn't deny that. It didn't even bother him that Dakota is asleep on top of him. It was like there's a big sleepy dog sleeping on his chest. Watching him quietly breathe was sort of soothing. Cavendish didn't have the heart to wake him up.

He is trapped.

There was no way he can leave without waking him up.

Unsure of what else to do, Cavendish laid his head back down on the arm of the couch.

This wasn't that bad. Which is weird. Usually, he isn't a fan of physical contact, but this wasn't that bad.

He yawned before closing his eyes. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, quick question, can anyone here give me a very descriptive step by step on how to add drawing to the fanfic? I think it would be cool to add some drawing to these fanfics but whatever I do, it only shows a little square with an "x" in it. I tried following the thing on this website on how to add pictures but either I'm doing something wrong, or it's not working. (Never mind, found out how to do it! I'm slowly adding pics to chapters!)


	33. Rogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Dakota sneaks off the island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Kinda sad.

He watched from a distance.

Cavendish and Dakota are at a restaurant. Talking and laughing.

He wasn't able to hear what they are talking about, but it looked like Cavendish was having a great time.

He sighed.

It should be him there, making Cavendish laugh, but instead, here he is, watching them from a distance.

He was his partner. In a way, he's still his partner, in Cavendish's eyes.

But  _he_  wasn't his partner anymore.

He spent some time on the island, but he felt out of place. Something changed. All the Dakotas were happy on the island, they found some sort of purpose there. But not him. All he wanted was for things to go back to normal, for him to be Cavendish's partner again. It is the only thing on his mind. 

_Something changed._

Obviously, there is something wrong with him. There is something definitely wrong with him.

Sure, whenever a Dakota comes to the island, they'd miss Cavendish. That is normal. But they'd get over it within a week and find a purpose on the island. Deep down, they'd except what happened because Cavendish is still a live and part of him is still with him. Not only that, the island is his island. Everything that makes him happy are on the island. Everything except Cavendish.

Before he went to the island, he felt empty. After he got to the island, he still felt empty. The other Dakotas tried to comfort him, but after a week, they stopped caring. Maybe it was because they thought he would be fine, but he isn't.

Then, he started to isolate himself. None of the other Dakotas seemed to notice or care.

He felt completely alone.

So, under the cover of night, he left the island. There is only one rule, no one leaves the island.

He broke that rule.

He left the island.

Now, he didn't know what to do. He wanted to be with Cavendish again, but there's only one problem, Cavendish already has a Dakota.

There is no way he could ask that Dakota to let him have Cavendish. It doesn't work that way.

Which means there is nothing he could do. The only thing that he could do is to watch Cavendish in person instead of on a screen. In a way, that was kind of comforting.

Seeing him in person, it's clear that he's still alive. Watching him on screen almost felt like it was fake.

He watched as Cavendish frowned at Dakota. That Dakota smiled sheepishly and shrugged. Cavendish rolled his eyes then reached into his pocket. His annoyed look turned into a panic one. He patted his suit. He said something to Dakota before getting up and leaving the restaurant.

He walked right past the other version of Dakota who is hiding in a bush.

Cavendish is alone.

This could be his only chance to talk to him.

Without thinking straight, Dakota came out of the bush and quickly followed Cavendish.

Cavendish went to their car and searched around. "Blast..." he mumbled to himself.

Dakota took a deep breath before speaking up, "Heyyyy....."

Cavendish turned around, "Dakota? I told you to stay in the restaurant! I don't want them thinking we dined and dashed," Cavendish went back to searching their vehicle.

It was so good to hear his voice again. He missed him so much.

"My wallet should be here somewhere..." Cavendish grumbled, "I hope I didn't leave it at the office..."

Dakota put his hand in his pocket. He still had his wallet. He still had some money since it didn't really have a value on the island. "How... How much was the bill?" Dakota cautiously asked.

"About eighteen thirty-five." Cavendish paused then rubbed his forehead, "Go back to the restaurant, I'll go back to the office and check-" He turned around to face Dakota only to see him with his wallet out and holding a twenty dollar bill. "Oh, you do have your wallet. Did it magically appear once you realized I couldn't pay for your meal?"

Dakota smiled nervously.

Cavendish sighed then swiped the twenty dollar bill, "I'll pay you back for my meal once I get a hold of my wallet again." He started walking back to the restaurant but Dakota quickly gave him a hug, "Hm? Vinnie? What is the meaning of this?"

Dakota held him tight. He didn't want to let him go. Understanding the context clues, he made up a story, "I'm sorry I thought I forgot my wallet... Turns out it was in my other pocket, heh heh... I'm such an idiot..."

Cavendish lowered his shoulders. He patted Dakota on the back, "Don't say that, It's fine."

As much as he wanted this to last, it couldn't. He let go of Cavendish and dashed towards the restaurant, "Race you back!"

"Race? What has gotten into you? Dakota!"

When he's out of sight, he quickly hid in the bush again. He watched as Cavendish made his way back to their table. He talked to the other Dakota. The other version of himself was visibly confused, but they paid for the meal and left.

Dakota felt envious.

That other Dakota clearly didn't understand how lucky he is. That's probably because he didn't know what it felt like to loose him. If he had Cavendish, he would gladly pay for his meal. He would open doors for him and listen to every rant about how they deserve better than the cards that they were dealt with. He would even gladly clean toilets in the renaissance just to be with him.

He would do almost anything to be Cavendish's partner again.

But the reality is, this is what he deserved. Cavendish died on his watch. He couldn't keep him safe.

He would go back in time to save his partner's life, but in a way, he still lost him. He still has to live the rest of his life without him, even though he's still alive.

It was like he was dead.

Some Dakotas were less attached to Cavendish. They didn't mind living on the island. Other Dakotas found different ways to cope with losing their Cavendish. But him, the only thing he can do was think of ways to get off the island and be reunited with Cavendish.

That isn't normal. He knew that isn't normal. Why couldn't he be like the other Dakotas? Why couldn't he be happy?

He didn't want to spend the rest of his life on an island. All he wanted is his partner back and for things to go back to normal.

But, that's not how it works. That was just some dumb fantasy that'll never happen.

He'll never have Cavendish again. That's how it is. His Cavendish is dead and there was nothing he can do about it.

At least he got to see Cavendish again one more time...

He never got the chance to properly say goodbye.


	34. Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dakota goes to therapy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Hints of dark stuff and slight shipping.

Dakota wasn't sure what to do. Lately, he's been feeling terrible. Every time he had to send a version of himself to the island, it felt like he's losing a part of himself. He got used to that, but lately, the most recent Dakotas were becoming more and more non-compliant. The main reason he decided to get some sort of therapy is because the last version of him literally begged to stay with Cavendish.

Usually, he would get a postcard when the Dakota made it to the island. It was a maximum of 48 hours before he got the postcard.

He didn't get a postcard.

...

There is a part of him that knew what happened. He knew that version of him did not go to the island. Where did he go? He doesn't want to think about it.

"Vinnie Dakota?" A man holding a clipboard called out.

"Right here," he lifted his hand and stood up.

The man nodded, "Follow me." He smiled, "Hello, my name is Dr. Flint."

They walked to a clean room with a desk and a bench. There were a few motivational posters on the wall. It looked almost like what Dakota thought it would.

Dakota went over to his seat and lied down, "Alright! Fix me! Let the healing begin!"

The man chuckled, "What brings you here?"

Dakota bit his lip. He had no idea what to say. He didn't think this far ahead. It wasn't like he could tell the truth. "I dunno, been feeling kind of down lately."

"Why have you been feeling down?"

The truth is he wasn't looking forward to the next time Cavendish would die. He's starting to feel like once it is his turn to go to the island, life would be pointless. "I dunno."

"You're not really giving me much to work with here."

"Haha, sorry." Dakota had to choose his words carefully.

"How about you tell me about your life?"

Dakota nodded, "I have a government job. Long hours and stuff. I also live alone. There this co-worker that I work with, his name is Balthazar Cavendish but we usually call each other by our last names. I don't mind that. When I first met him, it was easier to remember the name Cavendish than Balthazar. Sometimes I even call him Cav for short.

Dr. Flint started to take notes. Dakota noticed that and stopped, "Continue, I'm listening."

"Haha, what are you even writing down? Or are you just doin' a crossword puzzle?"

"Don't worry, I'm taking notes."

"But I barely even said anything."

"It just helps me to have some notes written down. So tell me about Balthazar."

Dakota fiddled with this hands, "He's a bit older than me, taller, gray hair, blue eyes, and he's got a handlebar mustache. You'll never see him without a suit on, haha. He's like... My only friend. I know, I'm pathetic. My best friend is my co-worker."

"That's not pathetic at all. A lot of people create strong bonds with people they see on a daily basis. Co-worker or not."

"Hmh... It's just... I kinda need him? If that makes sense? I dunno what I'd do when he's gone, ya know?"

 "When? Is he ill?"

Dakota sat up, "No, that's... That's not what I meant. He's just, older than me, so... He might pass away before me? And I wouldn't know what to do if that happens?"

"You shouldn't worry about something that might happen. It is an eventuality that everyone passes on at some point. Is Cavendish in good health?"

"Yeah..."

"Then why are you worried about losing him?"

"Because... I just am!"

Dr. Flint wrote more stuff down, "Does he know about this?"

Dakota sighed and laid back down, "Noooo. He doesn't..."

"Maybe talking to him about this would make you feel better?"

"Ugh... I can't do that," Dakota covers his face in shame, "That'll be weird!" Dakota uncovered his face then looked at Flint, "What do you want me to do? Go up to him and be like, 'Oh Cavendish, my co-worker and only friend, please don't leave me!' yeah, I can't really do that."

"Not that exactly-"

"I can't be like, 'I need you! Please stop dying! I'm slowly losing my mind!' Hahaha.....ha...." After realizing what he just said, he stopped himself from saying anything else.

"What do you mean, 'please stop dying'?"

"I mean that figuratively because... Because... Sometimes I have dreams of him dying."

"Hmm," he wrote more things down, "You're really afraid of losing him, aren't you?"

"Yeah..."

"Are you two really close?"

"Actually no."

"Oh." That surprised Dr. Flint.

"He's my co-worker! He doesn't... He doesn't really care about me..."

"Interesting... I think you might need to spend less time with Balthazar. Branch out a bit, make other friends?"

"I can't really do that! I... I don't want to do that. I like spending time with him and he's starting to like having me around too. At least, I think he is?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Huh?" Dakota was confused at the sudden topic change, "Noooo."

"Significant other?"

"No?"

"When was the last time you dated?"

Dakota frowned, "I'm sorry, I don't see what this has to do with Cavendish. I thought we were talking about Cavendish."

"It seems like you have quite a dependence on Cavendish. He's on your mind a lot isn't he?"

"Uhhhhh, yeah I guess?" The sudden topic changes made him feel uneasy.

"Do you have feelings for him?"

"Yeah, he's my best friend!"

"No, I mean, do you have _feelings_ for him?"

Dakota was confused before he finally realized what the therapist is hinting at, "WOAH! Woah! Woah! I don't-! I-I, don't! Noooooooooo. It's not like that!"

Dr. Flint gave him a look.

Dakota never thought of Cavendish that way before. He's straight! He always flirts with women! "Don't look at me like that! It's not like that! It's not! He's my co-worker, he's my friend, he's older than me!" There's a sting in his chest and he can feel his face warming up, "I mean, I like to spend time with him and I'd admit, he's a good-looking guy! But I'm straight! I swear!"

"You seem to have a strong urge to defend yourself. You could have simply said no and moved on."

"That would just be weeeeird! Super weird! Sure, I'd do anything for him, even sacrifice my own life! But it's not like that! It's because he's my best friend!" Dakota continued to defend himself. This therapy session isn't making him feel better. "Why would you even assume something like that? You barely even know me! Do I look gay to you?"

"Well no-"

"Then why would you ask something like that? You know what? If you're not gonna fix me, I'll just get goin'." Dakota got up and walked towards the door. He reached for the doorknob.

"Sounds like someone's in denial."

Dakota turned around, "I'm not in denial! I don't!... Feeeeeel, that way about Cavendish! Just! Nevermind! I'm going!" He left and slammed the door behind him. He felt completely flustered and embarrassed. He thought therapy would help him but of course, it didn't. He gets more out of talking to random strangers about this than an actual therapist.

He walked out of the building and made his way down the street.

Without paying attention, he bumped into someone, "Oh sorry, I wasn't loo-OOOH CAVENDISH!" Looking up, he realized he bumped into Cavendish. He jumped back. He can feel his chest pounding like a drum.

Cavendish was stunned by Dakota yelling at him, "Nice to see you too? My apology, I also wasn't looking at where I was going either."

"W-what are you doin' here?"

"I was out shopping," he lifted his shopping bag, "You?"

"Oh! I was just, ya know, around?"

"Okay?" Cavendish walked around Dakota, "See you at work tomorrow?"

"Okay! Bye buddy!" He waved. After Cavendish left his sight he scolds himself, "Bye buddy? Who says that?! Ugh! Wait? Why do I care?" He faced palm himself, "What is wrong with me?"

He cared about Cavendish. He cared about him a lot. But having feeling for him? That never crossed his mind before.

He didn't want to admit it, but having some time to think about it, maybe the therapist was on to something... He is getting too attached to Cavendish, especially now that Cavendish is acting nicer towards him. That's why it's getting harder to leave him.

He needed to try to loosen that attachment, even if he doesn't want to.


	35. Master Cheif

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish tries to bake.

Cavendish wanted to do something nice.

From Dakota's identification, today is his birthday. Even if they are time travellers, they had to clock in their hours. If you travel into past at 9 am and you're gone for three hours, you have to go back to your time period three hours later. This is done because B.O.T.T didn't want their agents to age faster than their friends or family. In their time period, it is Dakota's birthday.

Dakota loves food.

What better gift to give him than a homemade cake? That would be thoughtful gift because instead of going out to buy a cake, he's taking time out of his weekend to bake him a cake.

Best gift ever, right?

Well... It wasn't the best gift ever, but it's the best thing he can think of without flat out asking Dakota what he wanted for his birthday. He never really told him what he wished he had, other than food... So, homemade cake it is.

Only problem is... He lived in the future. No one really cooked or baked anymore. It was either cheaper to eat out or people would have personal robot chiefs that'll cook the food for you. All you would need is enter a recipe and give it the ingredients then it'll cook it perfectly. He, doesn't have one of those robot chiefs. You'd need one of those big specially built kitchens for a robot like that.

The only option he has is to bake the cake primitive style. His apartment is old so it did have an oven. He never used it before. He has no idea how to cook.

But, how hard can it be to bake a cake?

He found a recipe online. A chocolate cake. The picture looked delicious.

Apparently, he did not think this through. He needed a bunch of measuring things like spoons and cups. He needed a big bowl to mix everything in it. Also, he needed a whisk, pan, ingredients... All that stuff would be a hefty bill.

But he had no backup plan. So even if it is more expensive than he'd wanted it to be, he went out to buy all that stuff. Maybe he'll end up liking cooking and use those cooking tools again.

Cavendish kept getting the TBS and TSP mixed up. Why did those names have to look so much alike?

Two cups of sugar. That seemed like a lot. It had to same about of sugar as flour. Maybe that is normal? it is cake after all. It is suppose to be sweet.

Everything seemed to go fine up until he made a mistake.

Obviously, he wouldn't get it perfectly on the first time.

He needed to add butter, but the butter he had wasn't soft. It said to use room temperature butter. He didn't know that, so he microwaved it for a bit. After a while, the butter was soft and partly melted. Cavendish figured that there would be no harm in microwaving it some more so that it'll be completely melted. If it is completely melted, it'll be easier to mix it with all the ingredients. After the butter was completely melted, he pou'red it into the bowl. Then he added eggs.

...

Because the butter was still really hot, it started to cook the eggs. That's when Cavendish learned the hard way that you should use room temperature butter... Like it says on the recipe...

But it wasn't too late. He scooped out the cooked pieces of eggs than he mixed the batter. He waited for the butter to cool down before added an egg to make up for the cooked pieces he took out. Hopefully that didn't ruin the cake.

On the recipe, it says that it takes forty-five minutes to prepare. It took Cavendish over an hour and a half.

The recipe says to put the oven to 350 Fahrenheit and let it cook for fifty minutes. This is the easy part. Just sit back and relax until it's done.

He burnt it.

The cake is ruined.

Turns out his oven is Celsius, NOT Fahrenheit. Which means he was supposed to cook it at 180 instead of 350...

This is definitely discouraging...

Round two.

At least it didn't take as long as it did the first time, the 'adding the ingredients' part at least. He needed to go out and buy more butter. There was a huge line because of a sale and some of the self-checkouts weren't working properly.

All he wanted was butter...

Whatever.

This time, while cooking it, he sat next to the oven to regularly check on it to make sure it didn't burn this time.

It didn't rise...

He knew something was wrong because the last cake almost doubled its size.

After looking at the recipe again, that's when he realized that he forgot the baking soda. Taking it out of the oven, he thought that maybe he could recover it. But it turns out he also didn't cook it long enough and forgot to spray the pan with cooking spray. When he tried to get the cake out of the pan, it practically fell apart. Half of it stuck to the bottom of the pan and the middle part of the cake is half-cooked.

At this point, he's starting to get fed up.

Round three.

He doubled check everything he did to make sure he wouldn't make any more mistakes.

As they say, third times the charm. This time, the cake came out perfectly. Cavendish is relieved. It smelt gooooood. The recipe said to let it cool down for an hour, but, he already agreed to meet up at Dakota's place in about an hour. He didn't have time.

Of course, like he learned before, you should never veer away from the recipe. When he put on the icing, it started to melt and make a mess. Before destroying it further, Cavendish cleaned it up and put the cake in the freezer. Hopefully then, it'll cool down faster.

After twenty minutes, he took it out and slap on some icing on his masterpiece. He used some orange icing to write "Happy Birthday Vinnie". He also put a few candles on it.

Cavendish admired his creation.

It took WAY longer than he planned it would, but it felt good to finally get it done. And it didn't look that bad.

Dakota doesn't need to know how long it took.

He carefully put it in a box and took it with him to Dakota's place.

Cavendish is excited!

Dakota didn't tell him when his birthday is so this would be an awesome way to surprise him.

Cavendish's apartment is a bit of a mess from all the baking, but he'll have to clean that up later.

He grabbed the box and made his way to Dakota's place.

* * *

He carefully held the box behind him.

Knock, knock, knock.

Cavendish knocked on Dakota's door.

"Come in!" Dakota shouted.

Cavendish opened the door and stepped in. He tried his best to hide the box behind him.

Dakota quickly noticed something was off. He looked at Cavendish curiously. Cavendish looked suuuuper suspicious. The goofy smile he has plastered on his face and the fact that he has his hands behind his back is a dead giveaway. Dakota walked up to him, "What's up?"

"Surprise!" Cavendish showed the box and opened it, revealing a birthday cake. "Happy Birthday!"

Dakota was a bit confused at first but then he remembered that today is his birthday. Well, technically it wasn't. Because of all the extra time that he didn't clock in when he's saving Cavendish's life, he has no idea how old he actually is. But that didn't matter right now. This is adorable, "Awwwe Cav! You didn't have too."

"I know, but I wanted to. I made it myself!"

Dakota lit up, 'Wait! Really? I didn't know you knew how to cook!"

Cavendish smirked and shrugged.

Dakota happily swiped the box and brought it to the kitchen. He needs a slice of that cake now! He took out a knife and was about to cut it.

"Wait! What about the candles and the song?"

"Booooo! Okay," Dakota put the knife aside. They took the cake out of the box and did the whole 'birthday' thing. Dakota blew out the candles.

"What did you wish for?"

"Oh come on, we're too old for that."

"Vinnie..."

"Okay, fine, I wish I can eat this cake already!"

Cavendish raised his hands, "Alright, alright," he fetched the knife and two plates and forks. Then, he sliced a piece for both Dakota and himself.

As soon as Dakota got his slice, he quickly took a bite of it.

Something is wrong.

Cavendish took a bite of his slice. That's when he also realized that something is wrong. He spat it out, "BLOODY HELL! I GOT THE SALT AND SUGAR MIXED UP!"

Dakota flinched at the sudden outburst.

Seeing Dakota's shocked reaction, he quickly calmed himself down, "Ermmm... Sorry... It's just... I never baked anything in my life before. This is the third cake I baked today... The third one I messed up..."

"Pffff, what? It's delicious," Dakota attempted to take another bite to make a point but Cavendish pushed his hand down.

"You don't have to. I'm going to go buy a cake. I'll be back in approximately twenty minutes or so." Cavendish had his head down as he left the apartment.

Dakota did feel bad for Cavendish. He only wanted to do something nice. It was still really thoughtful and he did feel flattered. But even if the cake is inedible, that doesn't mean the icing has to go to waste...

Cavendish came back with a perfectly made cake. It's a chocolate cake with chocolate icing but it didn't have anything written on it. It does look way better than the cake he made.

Unfortunately, he left his partner alone with the cake he made. Dakota practically scooped all icing off of the cake. Which resulted in him feeling sick from eating way too much icing. Dakota still insisted on eating the cake that Cavendish bought, but he didn't let him. The last thing he needed right now was to make Dakota throw up on his Birthday.

Still... Dakota gave him a big hug and thanked him for everything.

Cavendish weakly smiled back. He should have known that cooking wasn't his thing.


	36. Ignored

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish goes on a jolly, late night, walk.

Cavendish is lying on his couch. He is... Sort of lying on it in a playful way. Back laid flat against the cushions and his legs are hanging over the arms of the couch.

He is bored.

Usually, by now, Dakota would have called him, but he didn't. He tried calling him, he didn't pick up.

So instead, he decided to text him.

Cavendish: Dakota, are you there?

Cavendish: Dakota?

Cavendish: ?

Cavendish: Are you okay?

After that, then he finally got a response.

Dakota: Yeah im fine. Just too tired to talk

Cavendish sighed. That is disappointing. He's in a talking mood.

Cavendish: Oh alright, goodnight!

Dakota: Night

...

...

"Agghh..." Cavendish placed his phone on his chest. He laid there for a moment before becoming a bit frustrated, "Neh!" He checked his phone another time before putting it down again.

This is fine.

This is okay.

They didn't have to call each other on the weekend.

...

But why today?

Well, it is because Dakota is too tired to talk, but he's still filled with energy!

This is around the time they'd call each other.

He got used to it.

Cavendish put his phone in his jacket then he practically rolled himself off the couch onto the ground. He got up. Now he has a new problem, what is he going to do? He isn't tired enough to go to sleep. He is in a perky mood, which is rare.

There is nothing to cool this flame.

Cavendish started to pace back and forth. That didn't help. Then, he looked out the window. It looks like a really nice night.

It was at that moment, he decided to go on a walk. That'll probably cool him down.

He dashed to the door and left his apartment.

Walking down the sidewalk, he looked at the sky. It is a really nice night. Not too cold and not too crowded. Though, it is a bit disappointing that there are barely any stars out. But that's because of the city lights.

Nothing can beat the starry night skies of the prehistoric times.

Cavendish practically has a spring in his steps. He even swung himself from a lamppost to change direction. There is no denying it, he is filled with energy.

He 'parkoured' his way to avoid any puddles. Jumping over them or balancing on the edge of the sidewalk. He even found joy in picking up some litter off the ground and tossing it into a bin.

He's been in a happier mood lately. Sure, his career is probably going down the drain, but he has Dakota. He is like a little ball of sunshine in his pathetic life. He finally has a real partner. Someone who will stand by his side, someone that he can count on, someone he can trust. He can be working the most terrible, unfulfilling job, but it is okay if Dakota is around.

After the whole pistachion incident, it was like his job became less important to him. Mainly because after his boss didn't believe him, he was pretty sure that nothing he can do would please him. Stepping back and having some fun for a change was nice. It was even thrilling to sabotage Brick and Savannah's missions. It did kind of concerned him how good it felt to do something bad. But he has good intentions, no pistachios, no pistachions. It's just a bonus that it happens to be Blocks favorite snack.

He never realized how much he needed a friend until he started to hang out with Dakota after work. Before then, he... Wasn't happy. Now, he knows that he wasn't happy, but at the time he didn't. It was almost like being unhappy was normal. He forgot what it felt like to be happy.

Cavendish picked up an empty coffee cup. Once he found a garbage bin, he aimed and tossed it.

He missed. Of course. "Aw..." He pouted before doing the 'walk of shame' to pick it up again and dropping it into the bin. Afterwards, he turned around to continue his walk.

He stopped.

From the window, he can see a familiar face in a fast food restaurant.

It is Dakota.

He smiled.

Maybe Dakota isn't feeling tired anymore.

Cavendish took out his phone and called him. He saw Dakota take out his phone and swiping it before putting it back into his pocket.

Cavendish slowly lowered his phone.

Dakota purposely ignored his call...

Cavendish started to text him.

Cavendish: Are you still awake?

Dakota: Whats up man, im in bed.

Cavendish frowned. That is clearly a lie. He can see him texting him back in the restaurant! Why is he lying to him? If he didn't feel like talking to him, he could have said so instead of lying.

Cavendish: Alright then, sorry for disturbing you. Goodnight.

Dakota: Gnight

Cavendish put his phone back into his pocket.

A sudden spark of anxiety started to spread across his chest.

He decides to go in a different direction. He didn't want Dakota to see him and think he's stalking him or something.

This is definitely a different way to water down his jolly attitude. It was almost like a flip of a switch. One second he's on top of the world and the next he felt crushed. What happened? Did he do something wrong? Why didn't Dakota want to talk to him? Maybe he is getting tired of him?

What did he do wrong?

All these questions are giving him a headache.

What did he do wrong?

What did he do wrong?

What did he do wrong?!

That question kept echoing in his head. He'll admit, he always had trouble reading people. Sometimes he wouldn't even realize it when someone didn't want him around or if he is being annoying. Other times, people would insult him and he'd be completely unaware of it. But the main problem is, sometimes he came off has unintentionally mean or rude. He'd only realizes what he did wrong afterwards. But right now, he has no idea what he did wrong.

What did he do wrong? Why does he always mess things up? How can he apologize if he doesn't know what is wrong? Why can't people just tell him when he does something wrong? It's not like he can read minds!

" _ **A** hhA **h** hHgGg,_" Cavendish started to fidget with his hands and quicken his pace. 

It's as if every step he took, the worse his anxiety got.

What did he do wrong?

At this point, all he wants to do is to home.


	37. Alternate Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just an alternate universe where Cavendish didn't become a time traveler and the world didn't crush all his hopes and dreams.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

As he ran through the hallway of the spaceship, the only thing he can hear is his footsteps hitting against the hard metal floor.

He's wearing a black and white suit. That suit made him look and feel good. Some may say it wasn't practical, but to him, it is important. After all, may as well look good while saving the world.

Actually, this mission wasn't a world-saving mission, but it is still very important.

Everyone else already evacuated the ship. It is his mission to save the ship. The engines are damaged and now it's slowly being pulled into a black hole.

That ship is filled with important research about the universe. The scientists on the ship were studying the black hole when an asteroid smashed into the engine and now, there is nothing stopping it from getting sucked into the black hole.

Years of research, billions of dollars worth of materials, are going to get destroyed.

Cavendish put on his space suit, then, he entered the emptiness of space.

He absolutely loved this. It is only him with his thoughts as he slowly jetpacked his way to the other ship.

When he reached the ship, he attached a hook to it, then, he went back to his ship.

Too easy.

He activated the rockets on his ship to pull the other ship away from the black hole. Now, it is time to wait.

...

...

...

It wasn't working. The black hole has too much of a strong grip on the ship. At this rate, he would run out of gas before he could be able to pull the other ship away to safety.

A part of him knew it wouldn't be that easy.

He left the rockets on as he left his ship to see if there is anything he can do on the other ship.

He entered the other ship. Taking off his spacesuit, he admires the ship.

It is fascinating walking around it. This ship is a piece of history. It would be ashamed to lose so much research.

He would have enjoyed his visit more if there wasn't a loud warning siren blasting throughout the ship.

Engines weren't working. That's what he was told, but he had to see it for himself.

To be honest, he isn't really sure what to do.

CREEEEEEEEK!

Suddenly, the ship started moving towards the black hole again.

"Blast!" Cavendish shouted.

He quickly ran towards the exit of the ship, practically jumping into his spacesuit before throwing himself out of the spaceship.

Where he hooked his ship, snapped. It broke. The grip of the black hole was too powerful.

What rubbed salt into the wound is that since he left the rockets on, he watched as his ship blast into the unknown. Without him.

Now he's stranded on a ship that's being pulled into its demise.

Adrenaline pumped through his veins. He needed to think of something FAST. Soon, the ship, and him, would reach the 'no return' point of the black hole. If that happens, that'll mean he'll have the opportunity of being the first human to find out what happens in a black hole, though, he won't be lucky enough to share his tale.

He held onto the ship as he slowly makes his way to the engines of the ship. Checking the engines, he had no idea how to fix them. It has been completely destroyed by the asteroid.

He has no other choice. This is a mission that he is going to fail.

Oh well...

He made his way back into the ship. Hopelessness overcame him as he went through the ship again. The least he could do is try to see if he can salvage anything before leaving. He practically smashed his way through some of the machines to recover hard drives. He used a backpack that he found to carry anything he's able to rescue.

Hardrives, memory cards, flash drives...

As more time went by, the balance of what was important shifted. He needed to salvage anything he could before it is too late.

Soon, he made the decision that his life is now in danger.

He has to leave now.

Taking one last good look at the ship, he ran towards the escape pods.

He ran through the hallway, the first escape pod is gone. Of course, the scientists had to use them to save themselves. The second one is gone. No signs of the third one. Forth is nowhere to be found. The fifth one is no longer there.

And the sixth one...

...

Gone...

There are no escape pods left.

That sealed his fate.

This is going to be his last mission.

Cavendish took a deep breath to calm himself down. Afterwards, he slowly walked back to the cockpit. He walked up to the huge window at the very front of the ship. It's facing the black hole.

The view is breathtaking.

Is he ready to die? No. A weird part of him felt invincible, but, because of all the dangerous missions he has been on, he mentally prepared himself for this moment.

The ship started to shake. Things began to fall and smash onto the ground.

A large crack quickly spread across the window he's looking through. The black hole is tearing the ship apart.

Cavendish thought about his life. He saved the world on a regular basis, but why did he still feel incomplete? He achieved his dreams. He could have anything he ever wanted. Oh yeah... He's not leaving anything behind. He has no wife, no kids, no family. He didn't have time for that, saving the world is a 24/7 job.

At least he'll go down in history as a hero.

The ship started to shake even more. Then, the crack in the window spread even more and caused it to finally shatter. A huge hole formed. The vacuum of space started to suck everything out of the ship, including Cavendish. He's pulled towards the black hole. Survival instances caused him to grab onto a loose wire that is swinging outside of the ship.

He looked at the black hole. He doesn't want to die like this.

Holding onto the wire for dear life, he struggled to breathe.

His grip started to slowly get weaker.

This is the end.

He could feel himself slipping away when he felt something grab onto his wrist. He looked up to see what grabbed him. It's someone in a space suit.

Someone else is here.

He isn't alone.

The person pulled him into the ship again. Struggling as they made their way further into the ship. When the gravitational pull wasn't as strong, the person in the space suit held him closer. Cavendish had his arms around this mystery person. He feels weak. There isn't much oxygen left in the ship anymore.

Once they were around the back of the ship, the person pushed him away and had both of their hands on Cavendish's shoulder. He couldn't really see who is behind the space suit, but, from the person's body language made it seem like they are confused.

That's when Cavendish snapped back into reality. If there is someone else here, that could mean there is still a way out. He needed his spacesuit now!

He pushed himself away from the person then ran towards the entrance of the ship where he left his space suit. The person followed behind him. They stood nearby when Cavendish quickly put on his spacesuit. He had some trouble because the ship is still shaking. In the process, he had to take off his backpack. While he's putting on his spacesuit, the person inspected the bag.

When he got his spacesuit on, that's when he noticed the other person's snooping in his bag. He swatted the person away and took the bag back.

They went towards the exit. The person opened the hatch and both of them left the ship. Cavendish looked out into the emptiness of space. There's a large ship that wasn't there before. The mystery person put an arm around Cavendish and activated their jetpack.

Cavendish frowned. He didn't need help beyond this point. He pushed the person away and activated his own jetpack to fly towards the ship. Soon, they entered the ship.

They both took off their suits. That's when he got a look at the mystery person who saved him. The person is a man. He's shorter than him with curly brown hair. For some reason, he's wearing sunglasses. What kind of weirdo wears sunglasses under their spacesuit?

The man spoke up, "You know, when they say the captain goes down with the ship, after everyone else is gone, you're allowed to leave. You don't need to stay."

"I wasn't the captain," Cavendish replied.

"Sorry, love to stay and chat, but gotta make sure this ship doesn't get sucked into the swirly void of death," and with that, the man ran out of the room.

Cavendish frowned. Before the man left, he got a good look at the outfit he's wearing. He has a black and red outfit on. Something someone working for the Bureau of Time Travel would wear...

There wasn't really anything wrong with that. That just means he's his rival.

Cavendish worked for an organization whose main goal is to save the world. They frowned upon B.O.T.T because they are time travellers. B.O.T.T also saved the world, but in a way, they are cheating. If they failed an important mission, they could go back in time to fix it. That is cheating.

If Cavendish made a mistake, he would have to face the consequences of his actions. Time travellers never had to face the consequences of their actions.

Cavendish huffed. He never actually met a B.O.T.T agent, but everyone in his organization despised them. He was told that B.O.T.T agents are careless, lazy, and incompetent. But... He did save his life. And he's on his spaceship. May as well play nice.

Cavendish adjusted his suit before going out to try to find this mystery guy. It didn't take long to find the man at the controls of the ship. He already steered the ship away from the black hole.

The man glanced at him, then back at the controls, "Looks like ya found me. So what's your deal? Not the captain, so why were you still on the ship?" the man paused, "Wait... You're not one of those aliens that shapeshifts and stuff. I think I saw that in a movie once."

Cavendish frowned, "Aren't you a time traveller?"

"Oh no, you are an alien! You're reading ma mind! Trust me, if I was you, I'd get out of there as fast as you can."

"I am not an alien..."

"Then how did you know I'm a time traveller?"

"Because you are wearing B.O.T.T. gear!" Cavendish pointed out.

The man looked down at what he is wearing, "Oh yeah... But wait, what does me being a time traveller has to do with who you are?"

Cavendish stepped closer to him, "Don't you recognize me?"

"Am I supposed to?"

Cavendish frowned again. He always thought that if he died, at least he would go down in history. But here he is, saved by a time traveller. And that time traveller has no idea who he just saved. Cavendish cleared his throat, "Bathazard Cavendish."

"What about him?"

"That's me."

...

...

The man looked at him in disbelief, "What is a pianist doing in space?!"

That surprised Cavendish, "Oh, you seem to be familiar with my past work?"

The man gave a sly smile, "Well I am a time traveller, the past is my thing."

Cavendish silently chuckled. Maybe he won't be forgotten after all, "You know about my piano career?"

"Yeah! I had a mission at one of your concerts! Man, you played so good, I got distracted. Savannah got all mad at me."

"Mission? At one of my concerts?"

"Yeah... Someone was gonna snip you."

"Pardon?"

"You know," the man pretended to hold a sniper then made a 'pew' sound.

"Someone attempted to assassinate me?!"

"Don't worry about it, I stopped that. Well, my partner, Savannah, did. I got a bit distracted. Seriously, like, you were so good you were hypnotizing me."

Cavendish wasn't sure how to take in this new information. If it wasn't for B.O.T.T, he would have never worked for T.W.S.O, The World Saving Organisation. "Erm, thank you?"

"No probs, the name is Vinnie. Vinnie Dakota! Nice to finally meet ya." Without waiting, Dakota quickly grabbed Cavendish's hand to shake it.

"Ah, yes, nice to meet you too."

"But don't make that a habit. I don't want to have to save your life every time we meet, haha."

"I do not intend for that to happen."

"But seriously, what's up? Why are you out in space in a suit? I don't think a bunch of scientists need someone to play the piano for them."

"I was on a mission! My mission was to save the Research Cruiser. "

"Well, not sure about you, but it looked like you weren't saving it. You were kind of like... Just staring at the black hole."

Cavendish grumbled, "I... Made a foolish mistake, which resulted in me being stranded on that ship."

"Oooooh, so you were like a deer in the headlights. Life flashing before your eyes. You're welcome by the way."

Cavendish looked around, "Don't B.O.T.T agents come in pairs?"

"Haha, yeah, Savannah is sick so I went alone. Who do you work for?"

Cavendish hesitated for a moment, "T.W.S.O."

Dakota's smile went away, "Oooooh..."

They were both silent for a moment.

"Sorry for saving ya back there..."

"Nonono, that was fine. I know T.W.S.O are known for not wanting outside help, though, I was sort of in a desperate situation." Cavendish looked down, "That doesn't change anything, right? Even if you knew I'm working for your rival, would you have still saved me?"

"Of course! Y-you a person! I'm not gonna let you die because you work for T.W.S.O! That would be stupid! What's with you guys anyways? You guys kind of look down on us..."

"Well, saving the world takes a lot of skills. It's a bit cheating to go back in time to correct the mistakes of the past."

"Time travel doesn't work like that."

"What do you mean?"

"If you go back in time to do a mission and you failed it, game over. You can't keep doin' in until you get it right. Ya gonna mess up the timeline if you do that. Maybe even cause a paradox or two. That's a big no-no."

"Oh... I didn't know that..."

"I almost failed this mission. I came in a bit late. I know, stupid. I'm a time traveller and somehow I was late. Good thing you already gathered up the hard drives and stuff."

"Of course, that was my intentions, to save the information then use an emergency escape pods to save myself. Through.... There were no escape pods left."

"How did you get stuck on the ship or were you already there?"

"Nevermind that."

...

...

...

...

Dakota shrugged, "Okay..."

Silences filled the room before Dakota broke it again.

"It's gonna take a while till we're back on Earth."

"Have you visited any famous landmarks from the past?"

Dakota smiled, "I've been on the Titanic. It wasn't mission related, just a quick vacation."

Cavendish gasped, "You're allowed to do that?"

"Yeah, as long as you don't change the past too much."

"That's fascinating..."

"What? Gettin' a bit jealous?"

Cavendish smirked, "Only a little bit."

"When would you go?"

"Maybe I'd see Beethoven play live. Though, being aboard the Titanic does sound like a dream."

Dakota chuckled, "Maybe we can put the feud between our organization aside and I can take you to see the past."

"Isn't that illegal?"

"Anything is legal if no one else knows about it," Dakota winked.

"That seems very unprofessional."

"Yeah, but you're cute."

"Pardon?!"

Dakota burst out laughing, "HAHAHAHA!"

Cavendish frowned, "Oh, haha, very funny. Don't get my hopes up," he crossed his arms and pouted.

"Hahahahaha! Sorry man! I kid, I kid. Don't tell my boss."

Cavendish looked around, there is another chair near the controls. He figured he'd go sit down if it is going to take a while to get home.

"Aw! I'm super sorry. I didn't mean to make you all sad and stuff."

"I'm not upset."

"Looks like you are."

"I'm not," Cavendish growled.

Dakota hung his arms on the back of his chair. "Hey, when was one of your first concerts. Preferably, one that not a lot of people showed up."

"Why?"

"I wanna hear you play again. But I'd rather go to one that's not too crowded and expensive."

Cavendish stuck his tongue out.

"Oh very mature."

"As if I'd tell you that."

"Aw come on, boooooo," Dakota frowned, then smirked, "Could you at least give me a private concert once we're back on Earth?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"And what in the world makes you think I'd agree to that."

"I dunno, maybe the fact that I saved your life, twice."

Cavendish was a bit speechless. Dakota did have a point. "Blast..."

"Aw yeah, that sounds like a yes!"

"It's a maybe."

"Maybe is better than a no!"

"Meh meh meh meh meh meh meeeeehh," Cavendish mocked.

"Woah, you are sooooo mature."

"I haven't played the piano since I joined T.W.S.O. I... I might be a bit rusty."

"I don't care."

"But-"

"I don't care, I just, wanna hang out with you. You're cool."

Cavendish huffed and tried to hide his smile. He is a sucker for compliments.

"And maybe," Dakota shrugged, "If I can trust you not to tell my boss, maybe I can show you some cool stuff in the past."

That caught Cavendish's attention, "That does sound, appealing..."

Dakota squeaked in joy, "Yay, I get to hang out with theeeee Balthazar Cavendish!"

A smile crept onto Cavendish's face.

"Seems like flattering will get me everywhere with you."

Cavendish jumped in his seat, "That is not true!"

Dakota chuckled.

"Th-that's... _Noooooo_ ," Cavendish crossed his arms and pouted.

Dakota turned around to face the controls again, to make sure everything is fine. "Man, Savannah is probably going to be sooooo annoyed with me when I won't be able to talk about anything else other than the fact that I met Balthazar Cavendish IN SPACE! I wanted to meet you in person when I saw you at the concert, but Savannah was kinda mad at me. Also, you were surrounded by people afterwards. I would've had to knock out some of them to get to you."

"Yes, my piano days were filled with praise, which I did enjoy, though, I wanted to do something more than just that. I wanted to save the world."

"Ha, well you nailed that, working for The World Saving Organisation, that kind of speaks for itself. Ya wanna save the world, ya go work for them."

Cavendish nodded, but since Dakota wasn't looking at him, he didn't see it.

"Too bad you didn't go for B.O.T.T. We save the world too you know, but we didn't put it in our name."

"Yes, though I didn't think that group would give me the adrenaline fix I was looking for. Mainly because I thought that if you made a mistake, you can simply go back in time and fix it. Nothing is on the line."

"You're weird."

"Saving the world isn't suppose to be easy. I wanted a challenge."

"Being a time traveller is really hard. Gotta make sure to blend in and not cause a scene. Also, you gotta make sure not to change the past too much. It's kind of like being a secret agent. That's something I really like about being a time travel. You have a big secret and no one around you knows about it. I once met a guy who believed in time travel. He tried to convince me that time travel is a thing but I pretended to act stupid. If he knew he was actually talking to a time traveller, that would've probably blown his mind, haha!"

"That does sound like fun..."

Dakota glanced at him, "Like I said, if I trust ya enough, we can check out some dinosaurs or somethin'..."

"Really? You're not getting my hopes up for nothing again, are you?"

"Nope, I'm bein' super serious, unless you're gonna tell my boss about this, then I'm just yanking your chain."

"I won't tell."

"Good! But ya gotta serenade me first," Dakota said with a wink.

"Har har, seems like a fair trade."

Cavendish looked over at Dakota. He is actually looking forward to go back to Earth. Sure, he sort of failed his mission and lost his ship in the prosses, but at least he did save some important information. Also, his ship probably didn't go too far. It has a tracking device on it. He'll have to go find it later. Hopefully, nothing tries to highjack it. It does have the security system up, allowing only himself to enter it. Though, it might get some damage from wondering debris.

They continued chatting throughout the ride. Cavendish was surprised that he actually really enjoyed Dakota's company. He was a sucker for the occasional compliments he got from him. He could even start to tell when Dakota was going to compliment him. He would give him a look before finishing his complement. It was obvious that he wanted to see his reaction to his charm.

They shared missions they've been on. Apparently, Dakota had a hand in the Louisiana purchase and he helped stop world war three, four and five.

Daaaaayyymmm! That defiantly impressed Cavendish. He did have a hand in stopping wars too. Such as the llama uprising. They came to a peaceful resolution instead of starting a war.

When they got back to Earth, Dakota dragged him to a restaurant that has a piano in it since he didn't have a piano and Cavendish sold his for charity when he decided to retire his piano career. Of course, a crowd gathered around him.

Afterwards... They stnuck off into the past. It didn't take long for Dakota to trust him enough to let Cavendish tag along on a time travel trip. They didn't do anything extraordinary. It was Cavendish's first trip to the past so to test him out, they checked out a restaurant that was discontinued over a hundred years ago. The food there was terrible, that's probably the reason why it was discontinued, but Dakota seemed to be enjoying himself.

When the day came to an end, they exchanged phone numbers.

Dakota wanted to make him promise they'd hang out together again.

He couldn't say no.


	38. Sidequest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dakota and Savannah goes on a mission together.

Dakota looked down at his food.

The main reason he went back in time was to go to a Slushy Dawg restaurant. There were still some in the future, but they didn't taste the same. Even these didn't taste the same. Nothing tasted good lately.

Dakota couldn't help but feel down.

One bite after another, before he knew it, he finished his corndog. He didn't feel full, but he couldn't keep eating. That wouldn't be healthy. Deciding to leave, that's when he saw Savannah run into the restaurant. "Savannah?"

Savannah is surprised to see him, but she didn't have time for small talk. She quickly dived under a table.

Bending down to look at her, Dakota waved, "Hey, whatcha doin' under there?"

"Go away." She silently hissed.

"Where's Brick?"

"Go away."

Dakota smiled, "Awww, did you two break up?"

"Ugh!" Savannah tried to stand up but she hit her head under the table. She growled before getting out from underneath the table. She dashed towards the window to look around.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"I'm on a mission."

"Are you running away from pistachios?"

Savannah rolled her eyes, "No! Block finally got some sense knocked into him and started giving us real missions again."

Dakota gave a sly smirk, "So what are ya running from? Love?"

"You're disgusting," Savannah gasped, "WAIT A MINUTE! Do you still have your time vehicle?"

"Maybe."

"Hand over the keys!"

Dakota pouted, "Why?"

"Cause I'm on an important mission! Besides, remember when you and Cavendish DESTROYED OUR TIME LIMO?! Do you know how hard it was to get that thing fixed and running again?!"

Dakota looked around, "You know, you probably shouldn't shout that kind of stuff in front of a bunch of people," he pointed at the other people in the restaurant.

"Ugh!" Savannah didn't want to deal with this right now. She dug her hand into Dakota's pockets.

"Woah! Someone's handsy! Not even gonna buy me dinner first?"

Savannah backed off, "Where are your keys?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"WHAT don't you understand about IMPORTANT MISSION? You know what?! I don't have time for this," Savannah grabbed onto Dakota's jacket and dragged him out of the restaurant.

"Hey!" Dakota paused, "Well technically, you do have time, cause, ya know, we're time travellers."

Savannah continued to drag him with her until she found his time machine. She shoved him into the passenger seat, then took the driver's seat. "Hand. Over. The. Keys."

"Fine..." Dakota pulled the keys out of inside his jacket.

She quickly snatched it and activated the time machine.

Looks like he's going on an improvised mission. May as well get some information before blindingly throwing himself into the unknown, "Okay, update me."

"Blueprints of a time machine were stolen. Brick and I went after the guy but things happened," She shrugged, "I got away but I have no idea what happened to Brick. Think he kidnapped him. Don't know where he ran off to. He disappeared without a trace, but he did talked about where and when he's going to host his next party."

The time machine quickly jumped out of the time stream, landing in front of a mansion.

"Okay, we're two days into the future. We'll probably find the guy somewhere here. He's hosting this 'housewarming' party here," Savannah motioned towards the mansion nearby that has a bunch of different colors flashing through the windows.

"Oooo, sounds like fun!" Dakota grabbed the car's doorknob.

"Woah woah woah. No, you stay here."

"Ya might need backup," Dakota pointed out, "If they got Brick, what if they get you too? Then what?"

"Ugghhh, just! Stay out of my way and do everything I tell you to do, got it?"

Dakota smiled and wiggled his eyebrows, "Alright buttercup."

"Uck," Savannah got out of the vehicle and ran towards the mansion.

"Hey, wait up!"

* * *

"You two are not on the list." The bodyguard lowered his clipboard.

"Are ya sure? Vincent Alberto! Comeon, I'm famous, been in a bunch of movies," Dakota attempted to talk in a thick Italian accent.

Savannah cleared her throat to intervened, "Look, how about-"

"Wait a minute," the bodyguard interrupted. He adjusted his glasses to try to get a better look at Dakota, "Yeah, I think I do remember you. That's right! You were in those gangster movies!"

"Exactly!" Dakota moved his hands around while he talked.

"Can I have an autograph?"

"Sure, why not?" Dakota broke character for a moment but the bodyguard didn't seem to notice. After the guy handed him his clipboard, Dakota wrote a fake signature onto it.

The bodyguard took his clipboard back, "Awesome."

Dakota started to talk in a thick Italian accent again, "Now I got some friends in there. It'll be a shame if I can't get in."

"You know what, you can step right in," the bodyguard moved out of the way. After Dakota walked in, Savannah tried to follow him but the guard stopped her. "Hey, stop right there."

"It's okay, she's my date."

Savannah became visibly annoyed but she quickly covered it up with a fake smile and nod.

The bodyguard raised his hands, "Alright, you can go in too."

They both walked into the party. "I hate you," Savannah hissed at him.

"What are you talking about?" Dakota continued with his fake accent, "I'm the reason we got in sweetheart."

"Oh shut up." Savannah looked around. The place is crowded. Loud music and flashy lights. Everyone here seemed to be either dancing or drinking. Obviously, the guy wasn't here. If he was, he would have been the center of attention since he is the host. Savannah saw a couple of doors on the other side of the room so she decided to go towards them to see if he is there.

"Hey, I love this song!" Dakota smirked once he recognized the song that's playing. To annoy Savannah, he started to sing the lyrics out loud while changing it up a bit, "Savannah ooh na-na. Half of my heart is in Savannah ooh na-na."

Savannah rapidly turned around, "Would you zip it already! We do not need to draw attention to ourselves!"

"Says the person who's shouting."

"I wouldn't have to shout if you'd just listen! Whatever!" Savannah went back to her mission. Once she reached the door, she entered it. It only led to another room full of people. She continued to search around. "Just keep an eye out for anything."

"Sorry, there must be something wrong with my eyes cause I can't take them off of you."

Savannah frowned, "How about we split up?"

"But my mom told me to follow my dreams."

Savannah started to get even more frustrated, "Would you cut that out."

"Cut what out?"

_"That."_

Dakota shrugged, "Not my fault, you stole my heart."

"Ugh," Savannah quickened her pace. All she wanted to do is to get this over with. She opened a different door. This time, it lead to a hallway.

Dakota smirked, "Hey, okay, I got a good one."

"No."

"If nothing lasts forever, will you be my nothing?"

Savannah paused, "Okay, that's kinda clever. Never heard of that one before."

"Yes!"

"That doesn't mean anything. Don't get your hopes up," Savannah leaned against a door in the hallway to try to hear if there is anyone there.

"I got more."

"Not now," Savannah whispered.

"So does that mean there's a later?"

"Shut it." As Savannah tried to listen through the door, the door opened revealing a large bodyguard. Savannah quickly went into attack mode, knocking him out in one punch. She walked over the person.

Dakota followed, "Raaarrrr."

Soon, they are both surrounded by guards. Savannah sighed.

"Well, well, well!" A man wearing a white suit with sunglasses appeared. His blond hair shined due to all the gel products mixed into it. "Look at what the cat dragged in," he hesitated, "Wait, who are you?" he pointed at Dakota.

"Hi, my name is Vinnie Dakota! But ya can call me Dakota, or Vinnie, or-"

"Wow," the man interrupted, "I mean, Brick is only gone for like two days and you already moved on?"

Dakota's smile went away. Then, him being him, he tried to make a 'joke'. "What? It he dead or somethin'? Haha.."

"Not yet!" he looked over at his guards, "Tie them up!"

Soon, they are tired up and thrown into a prison cell. It's small with no windows. The only light source came from the bars that'is facing the inside of the house.

"Now now," he waved his index finger, "You two better not have too much fun in there. Hahahaha!" The man turned around and left the room.

"Great," Savannah sighed, "Sorry for dragging you with me. I shouldn't have done that. What I should've done was knock you out and steal your keys."

"Awwww, are you worried about me? You do have a soft side!" Dakota smiled.

"That's not what I meant! I said that because if I didn't bring you, I wouldn't of got caught! You ruined everything!"

"I can ruin your life too by changing your last name," Dakota winked.

"Seriously? Now?! We're tied up! That guy is going to take over the world! Could you take this more seriously?" Savannah growled.

"Yeah, I'm bein' super serious, your looks can kill."

"AH! Okay, gonna make this super clear that even someone with a mind of a walnut would understand. I do not like you. You are incredibly annoying. A relationship between you and me will never ever happen. Not now, not in the future, and not even in the past."

Dakota smiled, "You have a way with words."

Savannah sighed, then she thought for a moment, "Okay, I don't understand. Either you are a complete idiot, or you're doing this to annoy me."

"What don't you understand? You're a girl, I'm a guy, we're single. This is how these things work."

"Okay, you're an idiot."

"I think the word you're looking for is charming." Dakota moved a bit and that's when he noticed that the ropes around him aren't that tight, "Hey, I think I can get out of this." Wiggling some more, he squirmed his way out of his restraints. "Ah ha!"

Savannah's mildly impressed, "Maybe you're not completely useless after all. Untie me."

"Only if you agree to go on a date with me."

Savannah gave him a disbelief look, "Well then, I guess the world will be destroyed. It was good while it lasted."

Dakota's smile went away, "Ah come on, I'm not that bad, am I? Heh... Heh..."

"I made it clear that I do not like you. Now could you not be completely useless and untie me?"

Dakota sighed. He went over to her and untied her.

"Good boy."

Now that they are both untied, it is time to come up with a plan.

"Okay, maybe Brick isn't that far. If we can find him, I can ditch you."

"Woah, I guess I was just the rebound," he attempted to make a joke, but the delivery fell flat.

"You're not done yet? I thought I broke your spirit."

"There's nothing that can cool this flame I got for you," Dakota said with a wink and figure guns.

"Wow. Just, wow. Now this is just sad. You really should stop for your own good. You're embarrassing yourself."

"I... Well.. If..." Dakota looked down, "Ah whatever... We're... We're still locked up."

"Not for long," Savannah reached down and pulled out a laser from her high heel. Walking over to the cell bars, she started melting them. It didn't take long for her to make a big enough hole to get out.

"Ooooo, cool, hey, why don't we get stuff like that?"

"When would you or Cavendish ever possibly need one of these while cleaning toilets?" Savannah stepped through the hole and went into sneak mode.

Dakota shrugged and followed her, "I don't know, cleaning toilets in the Renaissance can be very dangerous."

"I don't care, shut up or we'll get caught again." Leaving the room, they kept looking around. Every cell they found, Savannah would sneak up to it and inspect it. It wasn't until the third cell where they found her partner, "Brick!"

Brick looked up. He's tied up in a cell just like they used to be, expect, he is a bit beaten up. "Savannah!"

"Ouch, looks like he ruffled you up a bit."

"Nothing I couldn't handle. Took you long enough."

Savannah shrugged, "Not for me, it's been like an hour or something."

"Good for you, get me out."

Savannah broke into the cell and untie him. Dakota watched from outside of the cell.

Glancing over at Dakota, Brick looked back at his partner, "Why is he here?"

"I borrowed his time machine, the only problem is that he came with it."

"Hi," Dakota waved.

Once he 's untied, Brick stood up, "Great... Just stay out of our way." Both Brick and Savannah dashed out of the cell and out of the room.

"Hey! What about me?" Dakota tried his best to keep up.

"What did I miss?" Savannah asked while running.

"Arnold made copies of the blueprints. Our only option is to destroy all of them and throw him in prison. We have no choice. There's always a chance that he can have some copies we don't know about." Both of them stopped running and started sneaking around.

Dakota didn't do the same. He casually followed behind them, "Arnold? What kind of villain is named Arnold?"

Savannah ignored him, "Any clue where the blueprints and copies are?"

"He keeps the original in the jacket of his suit."

"That's kind of stupid."

"I know, I think it's some kind of pride thing. But remember, he does have copies. I'm guessing they're still at his other mansion."

"Woah, this guy has another mansion?" Dakota asked.

"HAHAHA! OOoooo! This is delicious!" A laugh came from above, "Looks like the rats came out to play! Oh joy!"

Looking up, that's when they saw Arnold leaning against the rails of the second floor.

"Give it up Arnold, this isn't gonna last," Savannah replied.

"Yeah, Aaaarnooolllddd," Dakota added.

"It's Arnoldo! Ah whatever! Guards!" Arnold shouted.

Soon, the three of them are surrounded by guards. Without hesitation, Brick and Savannah started knocking them out. With the two of them, it is easier to take them out. They have each other's back. When one of the guards tried to get a sneak attack on Brick, Savannah stepped in and slammed the guard onto the ground. Dakota wasn't much help. He watched as Brick and Savannah fight all the guards, with the occasional, "Woah," "Ouch," and, "That gotta hurt."

Arnold leaned against the rails to get a better look, "HOW?! How are you guy not winning?! We're supposed to be winning! There's like a bajillion of you and two of them!"

"Hey, what about me?" Dakota pointed at himself.

"Oh, I'm sorry, two of them and their cheerleader!"

"Oh cool, I'm a cheerleader! Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate? Gooooo Brick and Savannah!" Dakota raised a fist in the air and accidentally hit a guard that was sneaking up behind him, "Ooh, whoops, sorry."

"OH COME ON! He wasn't even trying to hit you! You're all buffoons!" Arnold shook himself against the rail.

With one more hit, all the guards are out like a light. Savannah dusted off her hands, "Now that wasn't that hard."

"NEH!" Arnold shouted before running away.

Brick and Savannah shared a quick glance and a smirk before charging towards him. Running up the stairs, Arnold is fast, but they are faster.

Arnold looked behind him before his fate is sealed. Savannah pined him to the ground. "Hey! Don't touch the suit!"

"Don't worry, you won't have to worry about your suit in prison," Savannah replied.

"Prison?! A pretty boy like me won't survive in a place like that, how about house arrest? I swear I'll be nice."

"No such luck."

"Eh, whatever, I have enough money to bail myself out."

Brick looked at Savannah, "Can he do that?"

Arnold smirked, "Of course I can, with enough money, I won't have to spend a second in that filthy rat cage."

"We'll see about that," Savannah growled. She turned the man over and reached into his jacket to pull out the blueprint.

"Hey! Bad touch!"

"Stolen government property, assault and kidnapping of government employees..."

"Come on, I didn't kill anyone, I was just having a little bit of fun! I wasn't even mean to your boyfriend! Other then tying him up, I treated him like a prince. Cocktails, lobsters, chocolate lava cakes..."

Savannah glared at Brick. He avoided eye contact.

"Do you know how boring it is to be rich? Anything you want is handed to you on a silver platter. Anything except things you can't buy."

"Tell us where the copies are." Brick demanded.

"Mmmmm mmm mmm, my lips are sealed."

"Tell us or we'll break that 'pretty face' of yours," Savannah threatened.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! NO! NOT THE FACE! THEY'RE IN MY MONEY BIN, PHONE, COMPUTER, I EVEN THREW SOME OFF MY BALCONYYYY!"

"Why would you do that?!" Savannah shouted

"I don't know! I was bored!"

Savannah groaned.

"Oh yeah, I think there's some in the pool too."

"What?"

"Yeah," Arnold smiled, "I made like a million copies. You'd be surprised how many a million copies are. I just kept entering zeros and then I came back to check on it after an hour. I had so many that I just kind of rolled around in them for a while and toss them into the air. I even took selfies and post them on my social media. Then I kind of handed them around to the people at my party."

"WHAT?!" Both Brick and Savannah shouted.

"What?" Arnold casually asked.

Dakota, who no one seemed to notice is there, finally spoke up, "Yup," he looked down at his phone, "Over a thousand people liked that picture. You can clearly see the blueprints."

"Only a thousand?! Come on! It took me over twenty pictures to finally get one that you can clearly see what was on the blueprints."

Savannah frowned, "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT ON PURPOSE?!"

"So that people can see what I stole? I don't understand the question. If they couldn't see what's on the blueprints, they wouldn't know those are blueprints for a time machine."

"AGHH!"

"Wait..." Brick raised his hands, "So you didn't steal it to make your own time machine and take over the world?"

"Take over the world? The world is already my oyster! I was going to go get myself a pet dinosaur and throw some parties in the 60s."

"You gotta be kidding me," Savannah sighed.

Brick groaned, "Okay, it's not the end of the world. We can use the Media Erase-inator. But it's going to be a pain finding all those copies and destroying them."

* * *

They handed Arnold to other B.O.T.T agents for them to take care of. To everyone's disappointment, Brick and Savannah ended the party. Everyone had to go home. Dakota stood next to the entrance to confiscate any copies of the blueprints that some people were trying to leave with. After everyone is gone, all three of them went around trying to find more copies.

"He did say a million right?" Savannah asked.

"Yup," Dakota replied.

"How many did we find?"

Dakota looked at the pile of paper, "Maybe over a thousand?"

"Agh... This is a job for third-class agents, not us."

Dakota rolled his eyes, "Oh, so you want us to clean up after your mess."

"Our mess? I wasn't the idiot who printed all of these!" Savannah waved around a copy of the blueprint.

Brick entered the room holding a stack of paper, "Good news and bad news. Good news, most of the ones that were thrown off the balcony got destroyed by the water. Bad news, we don't know how many that idiot threw into the water."

"Where are all the other copies?!"

"Probably at the other mansion, or maybe he was exaggerating."

"That's it," Savannah took out her phone and called Block.

Dakota left the room to check a different room. This room had an indoor pool. There are clogs of paper floating around in it. As soon as he saw a pool net, he went over to get it to fish out all the pieces of paper out of the pool.

Brick walked into the room. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, "You know, you can leave now. Why are you even still here?"

Dakota shrugged, "I'm bored. Figured I'd stay and clean up."

"You're not even getting paid for this. You're not supposed to be here. This isn't your mission."

"I don't care. Gives me something to do."

Brick huffed, "I don't want to be a 'white knight' but Savannah told me about how you wouldn't stop flirting with her. She's not interested. Helping us clean up won't change that."

Throwing a mush of paper out of the pool, he shrugged, "Yeah, I know."

"Then why are you still here?"

Dakota sighed, "I already told you, it gives me something to do."

Brick lifted an eyebrow and walked closer to him, "Are you... Are you actually upset that Savannah rejected you?"

"No I'm fine," Dakota mumbled.

"Okay, there's clearly something wrong."

Dakota sighed and put down the pool net. He looked at Brick, "When you look at me, what do you see?"

"What?" Brick didn't expect that.

"We're clearly not friends so be honest. Tear me apart."

"Okay? You're an incompetent agent that clearly doesn't deserve to be a third-class agent. You're annoying, pathetic, stupid, and pitiful. You always seem to muck things up, cause more harm than good. When I look at you, I used to think that you are just an idiot. Now, I just can't help but feel bad for you. You don't understand how annoying you are. Because you're annoying, you drive people away. That's why your only friend is Cavendish. He's your partner. He's forced to be with you. If you two were never paired together, you would've never been 'friends'. Now, you need to get over this stupid crush you have on Savannah. She's clearly out of your league. Seeing you get all crushed because of her is even more pathetic. Get a hold of yourself."

Dakota shifted a bit, "I don't think that Cavendish is forced to be with me anymore. Sometimes we hang out together on the weekends."

"That's because he's practically as pathetic as you. Probably has no friends too. You two are weirdly perfect together in a pathetic way."

Dakota smiled, "You really think that?"

"Um, yeah? Why are you smiling?"

Dakota looked down and shifted a bit, "You think that we're perfect together?"

"Oh, erm, yeah? In a pathetic way of course."

Savannah walked into the room, "Oh there you are, Block's sending over some third-class agents to take over this job, we can go now."

"Good! It's about time," Brick cheered.

"Where's the time limo?"

"At the other mansion. Arnold didn't touch it because he didn't know it is a time machine. He said something about all of his limos being wayyyy better and the one we have is a 'trashcan on wheels'."

"Ha," Savannah looked at Dakota, "Mind giving us a ride?"

"Only if you give me my keys back," Dakota chuckled.

"Oh yeah," Savannah reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys. She threw it at Dakota but he didn't catch them, "Seriously?"

Dakota bent down to pick them up, "I didn't know you were going to throw them! Coulda given me a warning or somethin'."

"The warning was visual, you got eyes, use them."

* * *

All three of them got into Dakota's time machine. After entering the coordinates, they are teleported to the other mansion.

Brick quickly got out of the cramped back seat.

Savannah left too but turned around to look at Dakota, "Thanks for the lift, and the help. Even though you were obnoxiously annoying... You still helped us. Thanks."

"Yeah," Dakota rubbed the back of his head, "Uh, sorry for all the flirting back there."

"You better be, you're lucky I'm not going to report this to Human Resources."

"Oh yeah... Heh heh..."

Savannah was about to leave but then she decided to say something else, "Sorry if I... Hurt your feelings or something back there. You're just not my type."

"Nah, it's fine. I'm good. I mainly did that to annoy you."

"I knew it! But... You still kinda looked sad back there."

"Yeah, I'm sort of going through some stuff right now." Dakota looked away, "It's nothing to do with you."

"Kay, see ya!" And with that, Savannah left.

Dakota is all alone again. He figured that he may as well go back to Slushy Dawg. Even though he ate some of the leftover food at the party, he still wanted another corndog.

That's why he came to this time period, for corndogs.


	39. Murphy's Law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish quantum localizer malfunctions.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

The clock ticked in the background. It is quite. Usually, he'd like it but, without a peep from Dakota, the emptiness of his apartment feels even more barren.

To find something to occupy his time, he decided to try to fix the quantum localizer. The protocol is to report it when B.O.T.T equipment becomes dysfunctional. But, he didn't need more hits to his record. Since he used to work for that division, he may as well fix it himself on his free time.

The only problem is, he didn't really feel like working on this right now. He isn't sure what is wrong with it.

So he took it apart.

Nothing is wrong with the buttons, pressing them sends out a signal. The batteries were working fine. It has time juice. But it just won't transport anything through time anymore. He already spent a few hours rereading the blueprints and trying everything he can think of to get it working again.

At this point, all he's doing is tapping his Robertson screwdriver on the edge of the device to drown out the ticking of the clock.

"Ugh..." he sighed in frustration. Reaching over for his tea, he accidentally knocks it over, "Blast!" The liquid quickly approached the unprotected device. "Nononononono!"

There is nothing to stop it. He tried to move the device out of the way, but it's in pieces. Some of the tea made contact with it, causing it to spark to life.

It shocked Cavendish.

"AAAaahhhggg!"

When it stopped, Cavendish opened his eyes.

"Oh hey Mr. Cavendish!" Milo greeted.

"Murphy?" Suddenly Cavendish realized that he was transported to the past, "Where am I?"

"Duck!"

"Huh?" Even though he is confused, he ducked his head just like Milo, dropping some pieces of his quantum localizer in the prosses. A crate that is being carried by a crane flew above them. "Murphy's Law?"

"Yup, in full force right now. At this rate, I'm going to be late for school."

They both stood up again, "It's nice to see you again young chap. Now you better run off to your academy. Education is very important."

"Of course! I love school."

"Good! It is very admirable to see a young boy such as yourself enjoying school." Cavendish continued to talk while he tried to gather up all the pieces of his quantum localizer.

"Uh oh."

"Hm?" Cavendish turned around to see what Milo is concerned about. A flash flood is coming their way. "AH!" he quickly took off his hat and shoved all the pieces of his quantum localizer into it.

While Cavendish was occupied, Milo took out an emergency inflatable safety boat out of his backpack. Pulling the rope, he activated it and it inflated itself. He got in it and pulled Cavendish with him. Soon both of them are taken down the street by the flash flood.

"AAAAAAH!" Cavendish yelled, but Milo stayed calm.

Milo took out a grappling hook from his backpack. He shot it at a nearby lamppost to force their raft to switch direction.

"AAAAAaaaaa....." Cavendish slowly stopped screaming when the water started to go down. Now, the boat is lying in the middle of the road.

"I'm going to be late for school! Any chance you can teleport me to class right before the bell rings?"

Cavendish looked down at his hat, "Sorry, I don't have my time vehicle at the moment. The only time travelling device I have on hand is in pieces."

"Maybe I can help!" Milo smiled.

"The only way you can help is if you just happen to have a Robertson screwdriver-"

Milo took one out of his backpack and handed it to Cavendish.

"An analogue multimeter?"

Milo fished one out of his backpack.

"A soldering gun?"

Almost like magic, Milo made one appearance.

Cavendish decided to push his luck, "A charged portable battery with an ac outlet?"

The young boy had to use both hands to pull it out of his backpack.

"Good heavens! Milo! I am honestly impressed! At this point, I may as well ask if you have a spare quantum localizer in there."

"Sorry, I don't have cool future stuff yet," Milo giggled.

"It's fine. It might take a while to put it all together again. Even then, it was malfunctioning before I took it apart." Cavendish looked down at all the pieces in his hat to try to figure out where to start. Out of nowhere, an eagle swooped down and snatched Cavendish's hat before flying away. "NO!"

"Uh oh."

Without hesitating, Cavendish sprinted off in the same direction as the bird.

Milo put all the stuff he took out of his backpack back into the bag before following Cavendish.

The bird dropped the hat on top of a building.

Cavendish went into the building and towards the elevator. Getting in, Milo followed him. Cavendish pressed the top floor button before calming down and standing back. The elevator doors closed. That's when he realized that Milo is with him. In the elevator. "Milo!"

"Yeah?"

"No offence, there might be some... Complications, if you were to stick around. You should go attend school."

"But don't you need the stuff in my backpack to fix your time thingy?"

"Oh... Yes... Of course." Cavendish began to tap his knuckles together nervously. The elevator made some loud sounds before stopping. "Looks like this is our stop." Cavendish went up to the door and tried to force it open.

"Here," Milo handed him a crowbar.

"Thank you," Cavendish used it to force it open. Half of the elevator stopped on the fourth floor while the other half is in between the third and fourth floor. He had to climb his way out of the elevator. Afterwards, he helped Milo get out too. The only other way up is the stairs, "Try to keep up." Cavendish ran up the stairs.

Several floors later, Cavendish made it to the roof. The only problem is the door to the roof is locked.

Milo finally caught up. As he struggled to catch his breath, he saw what's the problem. He fished up a hairpin out of his backpack and handed it to him.

Cavendish gladly accepted it, then he used it to unlock the door. "There!" Cavendish pointed to his hat that's on the very edge of the roof. He went for it, but as he got closer, a burst of wind pushed it over the edge. Cavendish launched himself towards it to try to catch it before it falls off the building. Unfortunately, he accidentally slipped and almost fell off the building. Saving the day, Milo caught his coattail and pulled him away from the edge. Cavendish sighed in relief, "Thank you. Could you please head over to the other side of the building while I fix the quantum localizer?"

"Of course!"

They both sat on opposite sides on the roof of the building. Whenever Cavendish needed anything, Milo would find it in his backpack and slide it to him on a scooter board. After some time, Cavendish manages to put it all together again. "Triumph!"

"Did you fix it?"

"Erm, I put it back together. I'm not sure if it's fixed... Only one way to find out!" Before he can press any buttons, the bird came back and swiped the quantum localizer again. "Aaaaagggghhhhhhh..." It flew over to the park before dropping it.

"We know where it is, it's not that bad. It could be worse."

"Don't jinx it!" Cavendish charged towards the stairs.

They both ran down the stairs. Milo did slip down some stairs, but he was alright. Once they made it to the park, they started to look around for it. While looking for it, Milo ran into Chad, "Oh hey Chad!"

"Hey Milo!" He waved.

"Why aren't you at school?"

"I got distracted. I thought I saw a UFO but it turns out it was someone flying a drone or something," he shrugged.

"Hello child," Cavendish greeted, "Have you happen to see something that looks similar to a remote or a calculator?"

"Oh hey Mr. Teacher."

"Mr. Teacher?" Cavendish questioned.

"Yeah, you're... Gregory's dad, right?"

It took a moment for Cavendish to remember. This is the kid that Dakota and he ran into at a school dance. "Oh, yes, of course."

"You have a kid?" Milo asked.

"Errr..." Cavendish sighed, "We don't have time for this. Have you seen the device or not?"

Chad ignored him, "Yeah, he was also with this other guy who's last name is also Teacher. They're both Gregory's parents. Wait... That doesn't make sense."

"Never mind this!" Cavendish walked away and started looking for the quantum localizer again. When he spotted it in a tree. He smiled before climbing it. One branch after another, he reached it. As soon as he grabbed it, the branch he was holding on to broke. Causing him to fall out of the tree. "Ooof," but, he didn't have time to dwell about it. He got up then pressed some buttons on the device. Bracing himself for a moment before pressing the 'go' button. Nothing happened. "Blast..." It's still not working.

Chad walked up to him "Hey Mr. Teacher-"

"It's Cavendish. Balthazar Cavendish."

"Yes, so, if you weren't a teacher or a parent, why were you at a school dance?"

"That's not important."

"Are you a vampire hunter?"

"Of course not."

"Who was that other guy with you? Is he a vampire hunter?"

"No."

Chad leaned closer, "Than what are you?"

"A perfectly normal time traveller that will wipe you out of existence if you don't stop bothering me! Now shoo shoo! Scram!"

Chad gasped before running away screaming.

Milo stepped it, "That wasn't very nice..."

"He was getting on my nerves," Cavendish grumbled.

"Did you get your time thingy to work?"

Cavendish sighed, "I'm not sure what's wrong with it now. It could be water damage or it could be the same problem it had before I took it apart."

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

They both turned around only to see a giant concrete pipe coming their way. "Oh great..."

Milo ran out of the way but the pipe crushed Cavendish. When the pipe was no longer a threat, Milo ran up to him, "Cavendish! Are you alright?"

"Neevver betteerrr..." Cavendish grumbled. He steadily got up and dusted himself off. "At least the quantum localizer is still intact," And after he said that, a raccoon snatched it. "And there it goes again... What a surprise... Get back here you scavenger!"

It jumped into a bush. Cavendish went after it. Milo stood by as screams and hissing came from it.

Cavendish came out of the bush with the device, but now he is all scratched up.

"Cavendish, are you okay? I got some bandages-"

"I'm fine."

"But-"

"I'm fine. I might require a rabies shot, but other than that, I'm fine." Cavendish glared down at his time device. He started pressing the buttons over and over again hoping the next time he presses it, it'll work. With every press of the button, he'd became more and more frustrated.

Milo got on his tippy toes to look at the device, "Maybe it's like the particle transporter from Dr. Zone!"

Cavendish rolled his eyes.

"In one episode Dr. Zone couldn't get it to work!"

That slightly peaked his interest, "What did he do to fix it?"

"Oh... I don't know. The TV went out before the episode was over."

Cavendish groaned.

"But Sara knows! I told her not to spoil it," Milo took out his phone and called his sister.

Sara answered, "Milo, I'm in class," she quietly replied.

"How did Dr. Zone fix the particle transporter?"

"Oh, that's easy. When Dr. Zone put everything back together, he accidentally put in the time juice vial upside down."

"Thanks Sara," Milo hung up. "Is the time juice vial upside down?"

Cavendish glared at Milo before checking. It is indeed, upside down. While mumbling some stuff to himself, he flipped it right side up again. He entered Milo's school's coordinates into it, then, teleported both of them into the school a couple of minutes before the school bell's going to rings.

"Cool, it worked! Thanks Mr. Cavendish!" Milo smiled

"No problem, have a nice day at school!"

"Bye!" Milo waved.

Cavendish waved back, then, his entered his own time and coordinates into his device. Teleporting him back home.

If he accidentally put in the vial upside down while putting it back together, that means that wasn't the original problem. Somehow he fixed it when he was messing around with it.

This whole trip to the past could have been avoided.

It happened because of his stupidity.

Oh well.

It gave him something to do and he helped Milo get to school on time.


	40. Something's Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish tries to cheer Dakota up.

"Dakota?"

...

"Dakota?"

"Huh?" Dakota snapped out of thought.

"Get it?" Cavendish asked.

"Get what?"

Cavendish's smile went down a bit, "Cat-astrophe. Because that feline knocked over all our cleaning supplies."

"It's not that big of a deal." Dakota started to pick everything up again and putting it where they belong.

"I... I know that, I was trying to make a pun. There's the word 'cat' in catastrophe."

"Oh."

"Dakota? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah."

Cavendish frowned, "Vinnie, I can't read minds! If something is wrong, you can tell me."

"Everything's fine."

Cavendish took off his gloves, "Are you upset because of these new missions we've been assigned to?"

"Noooo."

Cavendish nervously rubbed his hands together, "Does it have anything to do with me?"

Dakota hesitated, "No."

Cavendish's eyes widen, "If I did anything wrong, you can tell me."

"Ugh, I said no. You didn't do anything wrong," Dakota picked up some cleaning supplies and put it in the car.

"But you hesitated."

Dakota lowered his shoulders. He had this conversation before. All he wanted to do is to go home. "I was just... That didn't mean anything."

"..." Cavendish is only becoming more uneasy.

Dakota looked at him. He sighed, "No, don't! Everything is fine."

"Heheheh... I'd like to believe you, though, I feel like that's not true... Heh... Eh... Hmh..."

"Everything is fine." Dakota tried to comfort him.

Cavendish became even more nervous, "I'm sorry! I know I can be a tosser sometimes and other times I don't seem to understand when I'm being impolite or rude. Thought! That doesn't mean there's no room for improvements! Tell me when I'm doing something wrong! I have... Difficulties reading non-verbal messages!"

"Woah! No! Cav! Seriously, everything is fine!"

"You keep telling me that, but I don't believe you."

"Why don't you believe me?"

"Because! You've been more... Distance lately. We use to talk every night on the weekends but it seems like we have revolted back to when we met... Only seeing each other during work..."

Dakota looked away.

"Vinnie..."

He sighed, "It's just... I want some time to myself. It's not because of you, I just want to be alone."

"It's not because of me?"

"It's not."

"I didn't do anything wrong?"

"Of course not Cav."

That when Cavendish decided to finally believe him. He sighed in relief, "Good heavens! Though, if something is wrong, you can tell me. Even if it doesn't involve me. That's... That's what friends are for."

"Okay," Dakota lied.

"Come here," Cavendish opened his arms.

"Huh?" Before Dakota could react, Cavendish gave him a hug. He stood there for a moment before slowly hugging him back. It felt nice.

...

Dakota could feel himself starting to tear up. That's bad. The worst thing he can do right now is to just start crying in front of his partner. That would be a clear sign that something is wrong. He took in a deep breath before pulling away. He managed not to break down, but his eyes still felt wet. Good thing he's wearing sunglasses.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, you can talk to me."

"Yeah, of course, thanks." Dakota wanted to change the subject before this gets too emotional, "Hey! We're done our mission! We should get back to the future, like that one movie. Get it?"

Cavendish chuckled. Dakota was finally making bad jokes again, "Yes, I get it."


	41. An Indirect Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota share some ice cream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Shipping stuff.

"Blast, hold this," Cavendish handed Dakota his ice cream.

Dakota grabbed onto it without hesitation.

It is a really hot day. Not really the best day to wear a three-piece suit. Cavendish held it out as long as he could, but at this point, he felt like if he didn't at least take off his jacket, he'll pass out. So he took off his jacket and tied it around his waist.

Dakota watched. Without realizing it, he started to eat Cavendish's ice cream.

Cavendish took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead. Afterwards, he turned around to grab his ice cream cone back, "VINNIE DAKOTA!"

He lowered the cone, "Wha?"

" _You're_ eating MY ice cream cone!"

Looking down, he realized that he was indeed, eating Cavendish's ice cream. "Whoops."

"I swear! Absolutely no self-control! You'd eat anything that's placed in front of you!"

Dakota felt a bit embarrassed, he didn't even notice that he started eating Cavendish's ice cream. "Sorry..."

"Being sorry doesn't magically fix this problem!"

Handing the ice cream back to Cavendish, Dakota shrugged, "Want it back?"

"Of course not you Ravenous Raccoon!" Cavendish shouted back. He is upset. He was really looking forward to eating the ice cream cone that he paid for!

Suddenly, as soon as the anger came, it went away.

That's when he realized, Dakota did this often. He'd eat parts of his food and get his germs all over it, making Cavendish not want the food that he paid for anymore. It was almost like a child licking all the cookies so that they can have them all to themselves. Cavendish frowned, "You did that on purpose!"

"I was distracted." Dakota shrugged, then continued eating Cavendish's ice cream.

Cavendish watched. This isn't fair! Watching Dakota enjoying the ice cream only made him more frustrated. "AGH! JUST! GIVE ME THAT!" Cavendish quickly swiped his ice cream cone back.

Dakota looked at his partner.

Cavendish held his ice cream. He wasn't sure what to do now. Dakota got his germs all over it. He didn't want to eat it, but he didn't want Dakota to have it either. All he wanted is a new cone. The fact that Dakota wasn't bothered by his germs made it more frustrating. It's a battle he couldn't win.

"Oookay, now what? You're gonna throw out some perfectly good ice cream just so I wouldn't have it?"

"Noooooo!"

"Then what are you gonna do?"

Cavendish looked down at his ice cream then back at Dakota, then back at the cone. If he let Dakota have it, he wins. If he throws it out, no one wins. If he eats it, he can non-verbally tell Dakota that if he licks food, it doesn't automatically make it his.

Dakota has an annoying grin on his face.

That only made Cavendish even more frustrated. Deciding to shove the germaphobic part of his brain aside, he started to eat his ice cream.

"OOOOOOH! I had my mouth on that! You're licking my backwash!"

Regret started to flow through him, but it is too late.

"I had my mouth on that!"

"SO? **I'** m n **O** t a **f** rAid of y **ou** r gEr **m** s!" Cavendish forced himself to continue to eat the ice cream.

"Since when?"

"SINCE! SINCE YOU WON'T STOP EATING MY FOOD! I'm honestly shocked that I haven't starved to death because of you!"

"Oh please, you're exaggerating. I don't eat all of your food. But seriously, we just swapped spit, it's like we kissed, hehh.. Hehh.... Heh," Dakota tried to make a joke but he realized how weird it sounded after it left his mouth. Now he just felt embarrassed of what he just said.

"Don't be ridiculous! Just keep in mind that you will no longer steal my food by licking it!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

Dakota decided to challenge that statement. He swiped the ice cream back and before Cavendish could react in time, Dakota practically shoved it into his mouth.

"AH! Dakota! That's EXTREMELY inappropriate and childish behaviour!"

"Do you still want it?" he waved around the cone.

Cavendish knew he needed to commit. Dakota is challenging him. He can't back down now. "Hand it over."

Dakota gladly did as he was told.

Cavendish looked down at the ice cream. Most of it is gone now, but he still had a point to make. He closed his eyes and went for it.

"Groosssss! Awwww man! Ewwww!"

Cavendish stop, "What in the world are you complaining about?! You were literally doing the same thing seconds ago!"

"Yeah, but it's gross when you do it."

Cavendish put his hand on his hip, "How so?"

"I licked that and now you're putting it into your mouth."

Cavendish can feel his stomach turn, "Don't say it like that! That sounds disgusting!"

"But that's the truth! That's what's going on right now."

Cavendish is done. He shoved the rest of cone that still had some ice cream in it to Dakota, "I've lost my appetite, you can have the rest."

"Yay!" he was about to eat it, but before he can, Cavendish interrupted.

"Just remember, it's covered with my saliva. Something that was previously, in my mouth."

Dakota shrugged, "I see what you're tryin' to do but that's not gonna work," he started to eat the cone.

"Do you enjoy the taste of my testosterone?"

Dakota became slightly uncomfortable.

"Is something wrong? Are you not enjoying the chemical trail I've left behind? Is it not lowering your cortisol levels?"

Pausing for a moment, Dakota never really thought about eating after Cavendish that much. To him, it just meant more food for him but now, he can't help but think about the fact that both of them just swapped spit. It was like they kissed... He can feel himself starting to blush. That's been happening a lot lately. It was annoying.

"Is something wrong Dakota?"

"Noooo..." There's only one bite of the cone left. Dakota didn't really feel like finishing it. He's starting to feel a bit too funky.

Seeing this reaction, Cavendish smirked. He took the last bit of the cone back and tossed it into his mouth. "Enough messing around, we still have a mission to accomplish," Cavendish adjusted his tie before heading towards the time machine.

Snapping back into reality, that funky feeling went away. The realization of what just happened hit him.

Cavendish was challenging him! He's a germaphobe! Why would he do that? It was just some ice cream. Maybe he did have enough of him eating his food? But it's not like this will stop him. This is probably going to encourage him to steal more food, just to see Cavendish's reaction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah! I've passed 50000 words! Daaayyymm... What am I doing with my life? 50000 words worth of fan fictions... Meh, it's helping me type faster and come up with new ideas. Also, it's kinda relaxing watching crime shows while typing these things out. 
> 
> To whom that actually read all of the chapters up to this point, you get an imaginary cookie! It takes a lot of will and determination to get up to this point! You practically read a novel worth of fan fictions!


	42. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota gets attacked after a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Ya know what, the last chapter got a bit too shippy. Get ready for some dark, a little bit graphic, and sadness in this chapter! I felt like messing around with ya emotions.

"Mmmhhhh... MMMMHH..." Cavendish kept grumbling to himself.

"It's not that bad," Dakota tried to comfort him.

"Not that bad? This is demeaning..." They just finished cleaning outhouses in the Renaissance. After packing up, they started walking to their time machine. It's starting to get dark and after a long day of cleaning, all they want to do is go home.

Dakota eyed his partner, "You know, you shouldn't clean outhouses in your suit."

"I am aware of that! Though, I would like to keep some of my dignity."

"I will never understand that," Dakota chuckled.

"Understand what?" Cavendish questioned.

"How you're always like, that! Always wearing a suit, even on the weekends. What's up with that?"

"Why do you always wear a tracksuit even when you're not exercising?"

"... Because it's comfortable. Suits aren't comfortable."

"They are to me."

Dakota chuckled, "You're weird."

Out of nowhere, a man appeared out of an ally, he pointed a gun at Cavendish, "Give me all your possessions!"

Cavendish quickly raised his hands in defense. Realizing what is happening, he started to look around at what he's carrying for anything valuable to give the man, other than money. He didn't have any money from this time period, but maybe his pocket watch can get the man to back off. He took out his pocket watch to hand it to the man.

Dakota knew what is happening. He didn't want this to happen. He didn't want to go to the island. Cavendish never came out unscathed in these type of scenarios. He jumped in front of Cavendish to protect him.

"Vinnie, it's alright. Just do what the man says," Cavendish tried to de-escalate the situation.

"No! Just! Go away and no one gets hurt!" Dakota shouted at the man.

"I'm the one with a weapon! You're in no position to threaten me! Now hand over your possessions!" The man shouted back while pointing the gun at Dakota.

"Threats of violence are not necessary-" Cavendish stepped away from behind Dakota to try to take charge of this situation.

"STAY BEHIND ME!" Dakota shouted. Again, he moved in front of Cavendish.

Cavendish jumped back in surprise from the outburst, "Vinnie!"

Dakota stood stern. He was able to stop some of Cavendish's deaths without having to go back in time. It is possible. He knows what the threat is. He can stop this.

The man cocked his gun, "HAND OVER YOUR-"

Dakota dived towards the man. He pushed the man's hand up so that the gun would be pointing at the sky instead of him.

POW!

The man shot into the sky. Dakota used all his force to push the man onto the ground. When the man fell, he dropped his gun. At that point, Dakota couldn't control himself anymore. Anger overcame him. He gave the man a couple good hits to the face.

"DAKOTA STOP!" Cavendish shouted.

He stopped and looked over to Cavendish. He has the gun now, though, he kept it pointed at the man.

"Okay, good," Cavendish is visibly under distress, "Vinnie, s-step away from him."

Dakota didn't want to let the man go, but he did. He stood up and took a few steps away from him.

"Now! Sir," Cavendish focused all his attention on the man, "I'm sure you have your... Reasons to do this. Y-you might be under financial stress, but this is not the solution. Leave us alone and rethink your life choices."

The man slowly got up. He wiped the blood off of his face. Pausing for a moment, he looked at Cavendish before turning around to walk away. He took one step before turning around again and charging towards Cavendish. He snatched his gun back and knocked Cavendish to the ground.

At that moment, it's as if everything is moving in slow motion. The man had the gun pointed at his partner. Cavendish is going to die again.

He didn't want that to happen.

He didn't want to go to the island.

POW!

Cavendish heard the gunshot, but he didn't feel any pain. Opening his eyes, that's when he saw that Dakota moved in the way. "VINNIE!"

After retaliating, the man ran away from the crime scene.

"HEY!" Cavendish shouted. He got up to chase the man, but he quickly realized that is a stupid idea. The man is armed, he's not. Not only that, his partner is hurt. Cavendish keeled down to inspect the damage, "Vinnie!"

"Ooof..." Dakota clutched his chest. He looked up at his partner, "Are you okay?"

"Are you out of you're mind?! You're the one who got shot! Why are you asking me if I'm alright?!" Cavendish covered his mouth.

"I'm okay, it doesn't hurt that much, heh heh."

"We need to go back to the future. You need immediate medical care!" Cavendish took off his jacket, "Where are you hit?"

Dakota pulled his hand away from the wound. He was shot in the chest, near his heart. It's bleeding a lot.

"Oh dear..." Cavendish balled up his jacket and placed it on the wound to apply pressure to it. Then, he carefully lifted up Dakota.

"Owowowow," Dakota yelped in pain.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" The time vehicle is still quite far. He needs to get to it as fast as possible.

Cavendish took a couple of steps before Dakota started to squirm, "Stop! Ooooooh..."

Cavendish stopped, "Why do you want me to stop?"

"P-put me down."

He didn't want to, but he listened to what Dakota wanted him to do.

"Ugh, I really don't feel good."

"W-we need to get to the-!"

Dakota threw up on the ground.

Cavendish flinched, "Vinnie!"

"Uck, aw man, I'm... Ugh..."

Cavendish lifted him up again, "It's going to be okay, hang in there. Everything will be fine." He said that to reassure his partner but also to calm himself down.

Dakota's vision started to get blurry, "Oh wow, is this what's like to be shot? Heh... It hurts... It hurts a lot."

"I know! I know. Stay alert." It felt like an eternity, but they finally made it to their time vehicle. Cavendish carefully placed Dakota in the passenger seat. He took Dakota's hand and placed it over the jacket that's covering his wound. "Hold this. You need to keep applying pressure." Cavendish ran to the driver's seat then teleported them both to B.O.T.T. He reached for his communicator, "I need medical assistant at D-Third-Class parking lot! Man shot in chest! Bleeding heavily!" Afterwards, he tossed it onto the dashboard and jumped out of the car. He ran over to the other side of the car. "Vinnie?"

"Yup... Still alive..." Dakota mumbled.

Cavendish took him out of the car and laid him on the pavement of the parking lot. He started to apply pressure to the wound again. Seeing all the blood made this situation more real. "Nononononononono!"

"Caaav... It's okay.. " he coughed, "It's going to beee okayyy." Dakota weakly smiled.

Seeing the emergency medical responders appear, it calmed him down. "Over here!" Cavendish waved them over.

* * *

The emergency medical responders took over the situation. It all happened so fast. They put Dakota on a gurney and wheeled him away. One of the responders asked Cavendish a bunch of questions to find out what happened. Once they were done interrogating him, he went to wait in the waiting room.

Waiting...

Waiting...

Waiting...

He didn't know what was Dakota's condition right now. The doctors wouldn't tell him or they'd be very vague about it. That annoyed him. He wasn't a child. He'd rather know what's happening than to be in the dark. Not knowing what is going on only made him even more anxious.

In the waiting room, he couldn't stay still. He started pacing, but stop once he realized that he was annoying the people around him. So instead, he decided to go sit down. He had his legs crossed and kept tapping on the arm of the chair. Again, unintentionally annoying the people around him. But he couldn't help it. He had to do something to distract himself. Otherwise, he'd start feeling terrible. The events of what happened would replay in his head. Reminding him of things he should have done. Things he could have done to avoid this. Then, he'd thinks about how he should have been the one who go got shot. Dakota is still young. He's not. Dakota still had so much to live for. He didn't.

One thing that kept echoing in his head is that he should have been the one who got shot.

Why did Dakota do that? Why did he have to do that? It would've been better if he got shot, not him. Why?

"Mr. Cavendish?" A nurse interrupted his thoughts.

Cavendish sprung out of his chair, "Yes?" Finally, someone's talking to him, "Is Vinnie okay?"

"Sir."

"I want to see him."

The nurse nodded, "Follow me."

The nurse led him out of the waiting room. "How's Vinnie's condition?"

She stayed silent.

Why won't anyone tell him anything?! That's only making him jump to conclusions. If he knew the truth, he wouldn't have to think about every terrible thing that could have happened.

They stopped in front of a room, "Sir, when Vinnie got here, he already lost a lot of blood. He was shot next to the left side of his heart. We did our best to resuscitate him, but... He didn't pull through."

There. He finally got his answer. But he didn't want to accept it, "Are you telling me he passed away?" Saying those words made him tear up.

"Yes."

...

...

He covered his mouth. Cavendish did his best to hold back the tears, but now he couldn't anymore. He backed up against the wall to let it support him. He took off his hat and covered his grief with it.

Dakota is... Gone? That wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible. They've been through so much together. He couldn't be gone.

Cavendish felt a sting spread across his chest. 

The nurse waited a moment before speaking up again, "Would you like to see him one more time?"

Cavendish put his hat back on and nodded. The nurse led him into Vinnie's room.

It looked like he's sleeping. He didn't look dead. This didn't seem real.

Cavendish approached him.

It almost didn't even look like him. That's probably because he didn't have his sunglasses on. He was sure that he never saw Dakota without those glasses on. Once he notices that Dakota's sunglasses are on a table next to the hospital bed, he took them and placed them on his partner. Back where they belonged.

Now he looked like him.

Now it is real.

The lifeless man on the hospital bed is Dakota.

Cavendish completely broke down. He wrapped his arms around Dakota and pulled him closer.

He stayed next to Dakota for as long as he could. Eventually, he knew he'd have to leave, but he didn't want that time to come. A nurse escorted him out of the medical area.

"I'm sorry for your loss," the nurse tried to comfort him.

But of course, those words were empty. This guy has never met Dakota. These were the words that every nurse would say. It didn't mean anything. It would have been better if he didn't say anything. He is just reminding him of the fact that his partner is now dead.

Cavendish only grumbled in reply.

As soon as he was led out of the medical area of B.O.T.T, a therapist is waiting for him. This is protocol. That therapist is there to make sure he is alright. Well, not really. That therapist is there to make sure he wouldn't go back in time to save his partner.

Talking to the therapist only made him feel terrible. It reminded him about how important Dakota is to him. That, without him, he is alone. He got a partner that he can count on. A friend that was there for him. Someone who literally just took a bullet for him. Giving him his life.

He'll never meet anyone like him ever again. The only light in his life is now gone.

After talking to the therapist, it definitely made things worse. She determined that he is a risk.

Leaving the therapist room, he felt empty. If he is at risk, he's going to get his time travel license confiscated. He is going to have to be put on temporary leave until he's done grieving.

That would only make things worst. Without work to occupy his mind, he'll only spiral out of control. No work, no friends, no family.

That's when he realized that the therapist is right.

He is at risk.

It's as if he couldn't control his actions anymore. One step after another... He was supposed to go to Mr. Block's office, but his legs refused to cooperate.

He didn't run. That would look suspicious. Word has already gone around about what happened. People looked at him. That made him nervous.

Do they know? Is someone going to stop him?

Every time someone approached him, his anxiety would skyrocket. But every time, the person would walk right past him.

What he is doing, is selfish. He wasn't even sure what would be the consequences of his actions. All he knew is that it is the number one rule of time travel. You don't go back in time to bring back someone you care about.

Would it cause a paradox? Would it cause a rip in the time stream? That always didn't make sense to him. Brick and Savannah stop wars with time travel. Saving several lives. How is this different? Why isn't this allowed?

The closer he got to the parking lot, the more paranoid he got.

Is no one going to stop him?

At this point, he had nothing to lose. If someone did stop him, he could claim that he isn't mentally sound. But no one is stopping him.

When he reached the parking lot, there is no one else there. No one there to stop him.

Cavendish got into the time vehicle, turning it on without hesitation. There were no warnings or anything telling him that he wasn't allowed to time travel anymore. It didn't go through yet. The system didn't know he's at risk.

Taking that as a sign, he decided to go through with it.

He entered the coordinates and time of the incident. Of course, a couple of minutes before the incident.

Being back at the scene of the crime, that's when it hit him.

This is wrong.

He shouldn't be doing this.

He should go back and go see Mr. Block, like he's supposed to do.

"I will never understand that," a voice appeared.

That voice...

"Understand what?" a different voice replied.

He didn't think this through. Everything is going so fast. Too fast.

"How you're always like, that! Always wearing a suit, even on the weekends. What's up with that?" Dakota asked.

He knew where the man is, maybe he can stop him? He can't interact with the past versions of himself. Who knows what the consequences of doing that could be. All he needed to do is to stop that man.

"Why do you always wear a tracksuit...."

The voice became distance as he ran ahead.

It didn't take long to spot the man. He's waiting for a victim. He's waiting for them.

Cavendish can see him holding that gun. The gun that ended his partner's life. If the man didn't have that gun, he wouldn't be able to take someone's life.

No gun, no homicide.

He didn't have to hurt the man.

Cavendish sprinted towards the man. He got a sneak attack on him. But, he isn't his target, the gun is. Cavendish snuck up on him and quickly snatched the gun, running away with the weapon. He ran in a direction that would lead the man away from the past version of himself, which worked. After getting his gun stolen, he chased the person who took it.

After some time, he actually lost the man. Cavendish didn't notice when he wasn't being followed anymore. Is Dakota and his past-self still in danger?

He could check to make sure.

He cautiously approached where they left their time vehicle. He saw Dakota and the past version of himself get to their time machine.

"Do you know what else is odd? Constantly wearing sunglasses even inside of buildings and during the night," past Cavendish continued their conversation.

"Nah, wearing suits all the time is more weird."

"How is that 'more weird'?" past Cavendish got inside of the time machine and closed the door.

He wasn't able to hear the rest of the conversation anymore. Seconds later, the time machine jumped into the time stream.

...

Dakota is now alive. He stopped the events that would have lead to his death. He saved him!

Cavendish braced himself.

...

...

...

"Huh?" Cavendish looked down at himself.

...

...

...

 _He's_  still here?

Cavendish patted himself down to kind of confirm that he still exists.

His timeline doesn't exist anymore. Why is he still around?

Was... Was this the consequences of his actions?

Since he wasn't wiped out of existence, he made his way to his time machine. When he sat in the driver's seat, he double checked if he still exists.

Yup, he's still there.

Now what?

Dakota's alive, but he already has that other version of him. He couldn't just take his past-self's place. If he did, that wouldn't solve the problem. There would still be a version of him that would have to wander around aimlessly.

So then, what is he going to do?

He could take the tracking device out of the time machine and explore different time periods. That could be interesting. And every once in a while, he can check on Dakota and the other version of himself.

But he'll be alone. No Dakota of his own.

Though... Perhaps, that is okay. As long as Dakota gets to continue living a long and fulfilling life. That is a sacrifice he was willing to take.

Besides, being retired and having the ability to travel through time until the end of his day... That doesn't sound that bad.


	43. Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota's time vehicle gets stuck in the snow. Cavendish comes up with a way to occupy their time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Definitely shipping stuff and material that would make the fan girls scream. This is the first time I wrote anything like this before so, yeah... It's not too graphic, but still... My writing innocence! At this point it's getting close to being thrown out the window. Why am I writing things like this?
> 
> What is wrong with me?

Dakota sighed.

They are in their time vehicle.

It's the night.

Snow surrounded the car.

They're stuck.

It is oddly nice. It isn't even cold in the car.

After twisting the key a few times, the car didn't start. Cavendish leaned against his car seat and rubbed the back of his neck, "Blast, the car is dead."

Dakota looked through the window, "I guess I can go out and pop the hood. Maybe I can figure out what's wrong."

"Don't bother, it's too dark to see anything."

Dakota shrugged, "It's better than doin' nothing."

"If you open the car door, you'll let the heat out."

"So what? You wanna just sit here until mornin'?"

Cavendish took off his hat and started to ruffle his hair. "That could be the case," he tossed the hat onto the dashboard before turning to look at this partner, "Though, I'm sure we can find ways to occupy our time."

Dakota chuckled, "Like what? I spy? Okay, I'll go first, I spy with my little eyes, something white."

"Vinnie..."

"Come on, guess!" Dakota smiled.

Cavendish rolled his eyes, "Snow?"

"Ding ding ding! Ya got it! Okay, your turn."

"I spy..." Cavendish looked around before looking back at his partner, "Something cute."

That caught Dakota off guard, "W-what?"

Cavendish has a smirk plastered on his face.

Dakota decided to shrug it off and took this opportunity to make a joke, "Is that cute thing me?"

Cavendish leaned over to his partner. "Ding ding ding, you are correct," he said in a soft voice.

"What?" Dakota eyes widened.

Reaching over to his partner, Cavendish started to play with Dakota's hair.

Dakota froze, "What are you doing?"

"Perhaps we can... Have some fun."

"Like what kind of fun are we talking about?"

Cavendish leaned in even more before cupping his hands around Dakota's face and pulling him into a kiss.

Dakota quickly pushed him away, "WOAH!"

Cavendish decided to let him go. But soon after he wraps his arms around Dakota's chest. He pulled him closer to kiss his neck.

"OH BOY! CAVENDISH! AH!" His neck stung with every kiss. Instead of pushing him away again, he slowly put his hands on Cavendish's waist. He isn't sure what to do. He is freaking out internally.

Cavendish decided to move onto Dakota's chest, planting kisses on his way.

"OH WOW!"

Pulling away for a moment, Cavendish smiled before unzipping Dakota's jacket. He pulled him closer and slid his hands past his jacket and under his shirt. Kissing him along his neck

"AAAAaaaHH!! OKAY! CAVENDISH! UM!" Dakota bit the bottom of his lip. He didn't know what to say, he couldn't think straight. One thing that he didn't want to admit was that it felt good. Deciding to keep his mouth shut, he stopped fighting back. He'll just.. Let this play out.

Cavendish leaned back to kiss him on the lips again.

Closing his eyes, Dakota decided not to fight it this time. He even started to kiss back.

It felt good.

But this is wrong.

Dakota knew this is wrong, but why does it feel so good?

Pulling away to catch his breath, he opens his eyes. Everything was blurry and dark. He squinted his eyes, "Whaa?" Feeling around, that's when he realized he is in his bed. His eyes widen. He quickly reached over to turn on his lamp next to his bed.

The light washed over the room.  
  
He is in his bedroom.

Was that a dream?

"Gah!" Dakota sat up. He slid his hands through his hair. "Oh boy, OH BOY, OH BOY!" he shouted to himself, "What was weeeeiiirrrddd! Super weird! But that was just a dream. Didn't mean anything. Just a dream. A weird dream. It's normal to have weird dreams." That's when he realized that he was... Uncomfortable... "AAaAHhhH!" He quickly grabbed his pillow to cover his lower half in an attempt to hide his shame. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!"

Dakota tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down, "Just a dream... That didn't mean anything... Probably happened cause of what that therapist said... Messing with my head. Makin' me think of things I shouldn't think of." Dakota said. His voice kept changing pitch as he tried to comfort himself with words.

Giving himself a quick slap across the face, he laid back down onto his bed. At this point, he was sure he wasn't going to fall back to sleep. But he needed some more time to calm himself down.

Once he calms down, he'll need to get up for an emergency midnight snack.

Anything to help him get his mind off of what what just happened.


	44. Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish goes missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Dark! This chapter is dark. Move along if you're not okay with that.

Three days.

Three days of stress, concern, and confusion.

Cavendish was gone without a trace.

Usually, by now, Dakota would have gone back in time, but this time, he had no idea what happened. He needed to know what happened to stop it from happening, but this time... Cavendish was gone. He disappeared. The first sign that something was wrong was when Dakota didn't get a reply when he texted him. The second warning was when he wasn't home. Third warning was when he didn't show up for work.

He had no idea what happened. The last he heard of him was on Friday. Cavendish dropped him off at his place and they waved goodbye. But after that, not a peep. No text, no calls, he wasn't home, he was just... Gone.

Was he dead in a ditch somewhere? Did someone kidnap him? Is he still alive? He had no idea.

He kept delaying the moment when he would go back in time to figure out what happened. But now it's been three days. The longer he waits, the more time he loses.

Nobody knew what happened to him.

After the third day, he gave up. Cavendish never ignored his texts or calls. Cavendish never misses a day of work without him intervening. The only time that happens, is when he was dead.

Which means he was probably dead.

...

Before going back in time, he had to clean himself up a bit. He had a bad habit of neglecting himself when it would take more than a day to save Cavendish. It was like a switch. As soon as something was wrong with Cavendish, figuring out what happened and undoing it became priority. It would even come before his own health.

He wasn't even sure how to prevent Cavendish's 'death' this time. Maybe ask him to spend the night at his place? No... That would be weird. Maybe he could ask him to come in for a bit? That could change the timeline enough to prevent whatever happened from happening. But what if it doesn't? Then, it'll cost another Dakota to try again. Another option was to spend every waking moment looking over Cavendish to make sure he doesn't disappear, but that could come off as creepy.

He quickly took the place of his past-self when they left work. He didn't even talk to him. He pretty much just shoved him into a bush and took his place when Cavendish glanced away for a second. While driving to his place, Dakota rehearsed what he was going to say in his head.  
  
He couldn't help but notice it was a calm night. The street lights were a nice distraction.

Not only that, it was so relieving to have Cavendish by his side again.

SLAM!

EEERRRCH!

"WAOH!" Dakota screamed.

Out of nowhere, Cavendish slammed on the breaks.

"WHAT THE?!" Dakota defiantly didn't expect this. This did not happen last time. "Cavendish?" He carefully looked over at his partner. He had a shock, blank expression on his face.

"Where am I?" Cavendish looked around.

Dakota was completely confused, "What?"

"Am I driving?"

"Uh... Yes?"

Cavendish looked at the steering wheel, "I don't think I'm well enough to drive right now."

"Okay? I-I guess you can pull over and I can drive?"

Cavendish nodded. He slowly pulled over to the side of the road and parked.

"What happened back there?"

"I'm... Uncertain. Perhaps I experienced a hypnic jerk?"

"Yeah, I don't know what that means."

Cavendish placed his hand on his forehead, "I think I almost fell asleep."

"That's not good, especially when you're driving." Technically, it wouldn't be that bad since every vehicle in the future had a self-driving mode, but it was against the law to fall asleep at the wheel.

Cavendish shook his head before getting out of the vehicle. He and Dakota switched seats. After getting into the passenger seat, he rested his head against the window.

Dakota turned on the self-driving mode and they were back on the road. He was completely confused about what just happened. Nothing like this ever happened before. Whenever he would go back in time, he already knew everything that was going to happen. This... This was different. This was the only time he didn't know what happened to Cavendish and this was the first time this happened. Did that mean Cavendish wasn't dead? If he wasn't dead, where was he? Did he go missing on purpose? That would be completely out of character. If he didn't purposely go awol, did someone kidnap him?

Dakota looked back at his partner, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I'm not sure. It's all a blur now." For some reason, a strange stinging feeling started to spread around his wrist.

"Come on, think about it." Dakota noticed that Cavendish kept rubbing his wrists. "Why are you doing that?"

Cavendish stopped and looked down at his hands. The strange feeling faded away, "I don't know."

"Hmh..." Dakota mumbled.

At least things were... Normal again? He let Cavendish sleep on his couch because he didn't feel well enough to go home. Dakota didn't get a lot of sleep that night. Just thinking about what happened made him uneasy. Did something bad happened to Cavendish? There was no way to know for sure. At least he seems like he doesn't remember what happened to him.

Throughout the night, Dakota felt the need to check on his partner.

To make sure he was still there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I figured out that not only can I add pictures, I can also add GIFs! So that means I can make this chapter darker! Yay! What is wrong with me?


	45. Murphy Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota meets Milo at the mall on Christmas Eve.

Cavendish and Dakota walk into the mall. It didn't even take a second for someone to shove their way past Cavendish

"Why are there so many people here?" Cavendish questioned.

"Dude, it's Christmas Eve. Everyone's doin' their last minute shopping." Dakota answered.

Cavendish looked around. The mall was indeed filled with Christmas decorations. How did he miss that? "Oh, it's Christmas in this time period?"

"And in our time period. Wait... You do know it's Christmas Eve for us too right? Block's having a party and everything."

"He is?"

Dakota shrugged, "Yeah, tonight at B.O.T.T."

"I was not informed of that..."

"Ooooh... Like... Didn't you get that e-mail or something?"

Cavendish looked away, "No."

Dakota rubbed the back of his head. He knew that out of the two of them, Block seems to hate Cavendish more, but that would be kind of petty to invite everyone at B.O.T.T except for him. "Maybe you didn't see it, no worries, you can carpool with me! I heard there's gonna be a buffet!"

"That's... Not necessary," Cavendish began to walk down the hall.

Dakota followed beside him, "Already got a ride?"

"No."

"Oh, you already got plans? Gonna go hang out with your family for Christmas?"

Cavendish shrugged, "I don't... I don't celebrate Christmas."

Dakota gasped, "What?! Oh no! Don't tell me you're a grinch!"

Cavendish raised his hands in defense, "No no no. I don't mind Christmas. In fact, I do rather enjoy the cheery atmosphere. Though... I simply don't celebrate it."

"You a Hanukkah guy? I'm cool with that! Maybe you can take me with you! I've never been-"

"No," Cavendish interrupted, "I... Don't do anything during this time of year."

"What about a Christmas tree?"

"No."

"Gifts?"

Cavendish shook his head.

"Gingerbread cookies?"

"Vinnie... Christmas is for friends and families..." Cavendish bit his bottom lip.

"Dude! I'm right here! I'm your friend!"

Cavendish looked at him. "Oh! You're right! Oh my goodness, I didn't get you a gift!"

Dakota chuckled, "It's fine."

"Maybe before we sabotage Brick and Savannah's-"

"It's fine, seriously! Do you really want to wait in line forever with all these other last minute shoppers? Come on! It's totally fine! You can come with me to the party, that'll be good enough."

"Are you sure?"

"Super sure."

"Well then," Cavendish took out a map of the mall, "Because of this holiday, it might be more difficult to find Brick and Savannah."

"Cavendish! Dakota!" Milo ran over to them.

"Oh hey," Dakota waved.

"Greetings Murphy!" Cavendish put his map away.

"Good to see you guys! Hey Zack! Two this way!" Milo motioned for Zack to come over.

Zack came over holding a large bag. He put the bag on the ground and pulled out two presents. He handed both of them to Cavendish and Dakota, "Merry Christmas!"

"Milo, you don't need too..." Cavendish raised his hands to decline the gift but Zack shoved the gift in his hands. Once he got the gift, he couldn't help but give it a confused look. It was as if even though this gift was given to him, it wasn't meant for him.

"You got us gifts?" Dakota gladly accepted the gift.

"It's fine guys! I can be a bit of a handful sometimes. You know, Murphy's Law and everything. Zack, Melissa, and I are going around giving people gifts to make up for all the damage I did this year. I know, gifts can't bring back buildings, but it's the thought that counts! Right?" Milo smiled.

Cavendish smirked, "That's very thoughtful of you! You always cease to amaze me. It takes a very kind soul to make up for something you can't control."

"Hey, hey, Cav, hey Cav," Dakota whispered.

Looking at him, he already opened his gift. Now he's hiding something behind his back.

"I got a mini-me!" Dakota revealed his gift, it was an action figure of Time Ape.

Cavendish glanced at his gift. Opening it up, it was an action figure of Dr. Zone.

Milo rubbed the back of his head, "I didn't really know what you guys wanted, but you two really remind me of Dr. Zone and Time Ape. Especially because you guys are time travellers!"

"Yeah, we never really talked about that..." Zack brought up, "Are you guys from the future or past?"

"Future of course!" Dakota answered.

"Then why are you wearing something from the 70s? And he's wearing something from like the 18th century?"

"To blend in, duh."

Zack raised his hands, "How?!"

Milo intervened, "Well it was nice seeing you two again! Sorry, but we got to go. We still got a bunch more gifts to give out!" he pointed at the bag of gifts with his thumb.

"Totally understand, thanks for the mini-me!" Dakota waved around his Time Ape action figure.

"Yes! Thank you!" Cavendish waved.

"We're not done talking about this time travelling thing," Zack picked up the bag again.

"Come on Zack! I see Elliot! Hey Elliot!" Milo ran towards him. Zack followed.

Cavendish looked down at his action figure, "I can't remember the last time I've gotten a gift for Christmas..." he mumbled.

Dakota eyes widen, "What?"

"Hm?" It took him a second to realize he said that out loud, "Oh! Nevermind. When is this Christmas party you spoke of earlier?"

"Tonight at eight. But wait, rewind, what was that thing you just said?"

Cavendish took out the map of the mall again, "That's not important. I'm sure Brick and Savannah are at the food court. That would be the most logical area to set up a pistachio stand. I doubt it would take that long to sabotage their mission, especially with Milo around. We should be done long before eight," he started sprinting towards the food court.

"Hey! Wait up!" Dakota quickly followed behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick update to those who check for new chapters. I'm going on a road trip. Which means no more internet 24/7. I'm still gonna write chapters while I'm bored out of my mind in hotel rooms suffering from insomnia, but, I'm not gonna have internet all the time. So, might go three days without new chapters but then I'd post three at once when I get internet or something like that.
> 
> So, Merry Christmas and I'm goin' south for the winter!!!
> 
> If I don't post anymore chapters from this point on and it's been over a month, probably means I died in a car crash.


	46. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish gets sick.

There they were, cleaning up after Brick and Savannah. The first-class agents failed their mission again. But this time, Cavendish and Dakota had no involvement. They didn't even know about the mission, and yet, Brick and Savannah still failed. It was almost as if pistachios were destined to go extinct.

Everything was okay until...

Cavendish coughed.

Dakota glared at Cavendish.

Cavendish noticed, "Hm?"

"You've been coughing a lot today.."

Cavendish shrugged, "I think I might have contracted a minor cold."

Dakota looked at him in shock.

"Oh! Don't worry," Cavendish tried to reassure him, "It's most likely a common cold. No big deal. Didn't Brick and Savannah obtain the cure of it?"

"...We sort of messed up that mission."

"Oh yes, we did..." Cavendish lifted his head, "It'll pass."

Vinnie looked at him cautiously.

"You're not germaphobic? Are you? You don't strike me as that type of person."

"No... It's just... If you knew you were sick, why did you go to work?"

Cavendish cleared his throat, "It's a common cold, no big deal. I can handle it myself." Cavendish coughed into his sleeve.

"You're not supposed to go to work when you're sick!" Dakota scold.

He was more worried about Cavendish working while he's sick than the rule against it. It was a big rule that you had to follow. Do not work if you're sick. You don't want to spread contagious diseases throughout time. Just imagine what would happen if someone brought the plague into the twenty-first century? You're even supposed to go through tests before and after time travelling.

Cavendish was surprised, "It's not a big deal..."

"Balthazar Cavendish!"

Cavendish rolled his eyes, "Vinnie..."

"Alright, let's pack up. We have to go back to the future."

"Pardon? Nonono, Vinnie, it's not a big deal! It's only a common cold!"

Dakota crossed his arms, "If it's not a big deal, then, if I told Block, he wouldn't care right?"

Cavendish gasped, "Are you blackmailing me?"

Dakota shrugged, "I'm just sayin'."

"I've never missed a day of work! And I'm not going to start now because of a lousy cold!"

"Hey! We both skipped work that one time!"

Cavendish pouted, "That doesn't count."

"Alright, I'm tellin' Block," Dakota took out his communicator.

Cavendish swiped it, "We can talk about this..."

"Yes, we can head back to the future, go through the test stuff, and pretend you just got this cold."

"No."

"Balthazar..." Dakota warned, "I thought you were all about following the rules."

"Yes," Cavendish pointed to the sky, "You're not supposed to time travel if you contract a deadly contagious disease."

"Noooooo. You're not supposed to time travel at all if you have anything that's contagious! Not only deadly diseases!" Dakota corrected.

"Vinnie," Cavendish put his hands together, "We are already on thin ice, it's the weekend tomorrow and I'll feel better in two days. No point in missing a mission over such a small ordeal."

"You're not going to convince me."

"You only want to go back to the future so you can have the rest of the day off!"

Dakota closed his eyes and placed a hand on his chest, "I promise, if we report back early, I will be your sick slave. I will serve you anything you want until you feel better."

"No!"

"Cav!"

"If you do that, you'll get sick and we'll have to miss more days of work!"

Dakota chuckled, "My body is like an invincible temple. I don't get sick."

"Famous last words."

"Haha, come on... I'm worried about ya. You need some TLC until you're better."

"TLC?"

"Tender loving care."

Cavendish stuck his tough out, "Uck," afterwards, he coughed.

"Let's go."

"I don't want to..." Cavendish mumbled.

"Do you want me to tell Blo-"

"Alright! Okay! I get it! Though, Block is still going to be mad that I'm sick."

Dakota groaned, "Oh please... He's mad no matter what we do."

"Neh...." Cavendish crossed his arms.

* * *

They went back to the future early. Block was obviously mad to hear that they didn't finish their mission. On the other hand, he did seem to calm down when one of the nurses told him that Cavendish did, in fact, have a common cold. He was sent home and told to stay home. The strain that he contracted was more common in the early two thousand's. It wasn't deadly or a big deal, but it was better to keep it contained. Not in a sterile environment, more like 'try to stay home and don't cough on people' type of containment.

As Dakota promised, he tagged along. They went over to Cavendish's apartment.

Cavendish cleared his throat, "I'm sorry for the mess. I did not expect guests."

"No probs," Dakota led Cavendish to the couch.

"You don't need to do that, I'm fine."

Dakota laid him on the couch and placed a hand over his forehead.

Cavendish swatted him away, "I'm fine!" He started to cough.

"Awww," Dakota smiled, "You're like a sick kitty. Let me nurse you back to health."

"Uck, don't say it like that."

"Do you want something to eat?"

Cavendish frowned, "Food cheers you up, not me."

"Is that a no?"

"It's a no."

Dakota started to snoop around, picking up random stuff to look at them, "Do you have any cough medicine?"

"No."

"Seriously? Alright, I guess I'll go get some, stay put."

Cavendish frowned, "I'm not allowed to leave, where do you expect me to go?"

"I dunno, apparently you're a rule breaker now."

Cavendish rolled his eyes, "Yes, I'm so bad. I went to work instead of staying home."

Dakota shook his head, "Before I know it, you'll be breaking rules left and right. I won't even be able to recognize you anymore."

"Har har, now scram."

"You're so nice," Dakota stepped out of the apartment.

The longer Dakota was out, the sicker Cavendish felt. His nose started to run and he felt like he had no energy to do anything. He even had trouble watching TV. There wasn't anything that interested him, and because of that, his eyes started to feel heavy. It was always easy for him to fall asleep in the most uncomfortable places. On his couch, at his desk in the office, in the time vehicle, and even once at his desk in university. That... That wasn't one of his proudest moments.

Dakota opened the door, "Alright, I'm back."

"Huh?!" Cavendish woke up in surprise.

"OooOooh, sorry. Didn't know you were sleeping. Super sorry."

"Ugh..." Now, Cavendish definitely felt sick. His head was pounding and he can feel drool on the side of his mouth. He was positively not presentable at the moment.

"Don't you have anything better to wear? You're sick. You need comfy clothes."

Cavendish growled. "Aallright..." He got off the couch, but as soon as he got on his feet, he felt light-headed. Cavendish had to sit back down on the couch, "Blast..."

"It's okay! I can go get it! What do you want to wear?"

"No no no," Cavendish waved Dakota away, "I don't want you going through my clothes. I just need a moment."

Dakota sighed, "Okay... Do you want some water? Juice?"

"I have some apple juice in the fridge."

"Okey dokey, coming right up."

Cavendish took a moment before he got back up. He went to his bedroom to change. Taking off his jacket, hat, tie, and vest, he stopped. "Goodenough," he mumbled to himself before returning to the couch. Technically he didn't change into something more comfortable, but at least now he had a white button shirt on and of course, his pants, instead of a complete suit. He just didn't have the energy or the will to go through his things to pick out something else. He walked out of the bedroom to find Dakota standing there with a cup of apple juice.

"Here!" Dakota handed the cup to Cavendish with a smile.

"Thanks," Cavendish grabbed it then started drinking it.

Dakota looked at him, "Okay, now you defiantly look sick. Aren't you glad you're not working right now?"

Cavendish took a break from drinking to cough, "I would have been fine."

"Hold up! I got cough medicine!"

Cavendish groaned then made his way back to the couch.

Vinnie shuffled through his bag, pulling out a small purple bottle. "Ha, if only we didn't mess up Brick and Savannah's mission. Who knows? Maybe you could have just gotten a shot and within seconds you'd be feeling better. Where do you keep your spoons?"

"In the kitchen."

"Where in the kitchen?"

"Somewhere! Just! Ugh!" Cavendish covered his face with his hands. The light and noise in the room were giving him a headache.

Dakota opened a random drawer, "Oh! Found them. That was easy," he took out a small spoon. He made his way to Cavendish and pour a little bit of the cough medicine on to the spoon, "Here comes the airplane!"

Cavendish turned his head and growled.

"Comeon, it grape flavoured. Grapes are good," Dakota encouraged.

Cavendish threw his hands up, "I'm not a child! I don't need you to spoon feed me! Give me that!" He took the spoon and downed the medicine.

"You're no fun." After Cavendish was done, Dakota took the spoon back and put it and the medicine away. Dakota can hear Cavendish go into a coughing fit. Hearing that just made him on edge. A bunch of thoughts ran through his head. The common cold isn't known to be deadly, but since Cavendish is old, and this was an older strain of the common cold, maybe it could be deadly to him? "You okay?"

Cavendish cleared his throat, "Yes... I'm fine," his voice sounded deeper and scruffier.

"Maybe it would be better if I go back in time and get cold medicine from the early two thousand's?"

"Are you joking? That primitive stuff? No thank you."

"Well, the doc did say that the strain of the common cold you got was from the early two thousand? Maybe this medicine wouldn't do much? After all, the cold you got is over a hundred years old"

"That's..." Cavendish was almost speechless, "You do have a point... I didn't even think of that..." Cavendish coughed, "It's not that big of a deal, it's the common cold, it'll have to run its course. The medication only treats it, it doesn't cure it."

Dakota frowned, "Okay..."

...

...

...

Dakota stood awkwardly next to the couch, "Is... Is there anything else you want me to do?"

"I'll be fine from now on, you may go home."

"No no no, I'm here to help."

"I don't need help, I'm fully capable of taking care of myself! Besides... I don't want you to get sick..."

"I already told you, I don't get sick, just, here," Dakota walked over and leaned Cavendish onto the couch.

"Vinnie..."

"Ah ah ah," Dakota then walked over to grab the remote to turn on the TV, "Just sit back and relax."

Cavendish sat back up and went into another coughing fit. He covered his mouth with his sleeve.

"Cav!"

Cavendish stopped and cleared his throat. "Crimany..."

Dakota felt helpless. It's not like he could stop Cavendish from going into a coughing fit, "Are you okay?"

Cavendish laid back down, "I am, for now."

Cavendish's voice sounded much deeper. It sounded almost unnatural. As in, that voice isn't supposed to come from him, "Are you sure?"

Cavendish nodded.

"Maybe you should go to bed."

"Vinnie..." Cavendish coughed, "Go home. The last thing I need is for you to hover around me as if I'm a sick child. I've been sick before. Every time, I treated it myself. I've never needed assistance, and I don't need it now."

"But..."

"If you feel the need to nurse me back to health because I'm old, don't. I'm not that old."

Dakota crossed his arms. "No."

"No?"

Dakota didn't wanted to leave. If he leaves, who knows? Maybe Cavendish will die again and then he'll have to go back in time to before he got sick or something. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not helping you because you're old, I'm helping you because you're my friend. Now come here," Dakota walked over to his partner to get him off of the couch.

"Dakota! Let me go!"

"Nope." Dakota practically dragged Cavendish to his bed. After he laid him down on the bed, he tucked him in. "See? Much better."

Cavendish stuck out his tongue.

"Ha ha," Dakota placed the back of his hand on Cavendish's forehead, "Sheesh, you're burning up. Be right back." Dakota left the room and began a search. He found a small hand towel in the bathroom which he soaked it in some cold water. After wringing it out, he brought it to his partner to put it on his forehead. "There you go."

Cavendish adjusted it before quietly thanking him.

In Cavendish's room, it looked plain and boring. Obviously, it needed entertainment.

TV.

Dakota left the room again to bring the TV to Cavendish. He didn't ask for his permission because he was a hundred percent sure that he wouldn't let him do that. Turning off the TV, he unplugged it, and brought it to Cavendish's room.

"Dakota!" Cavendish lifted himself up in surprise. Right away, he felt light-headed and he had to lay back down again, "Put that back."

Dakota pushed some stuff that was on the drawer aside to make room for the TV.

"You're making a mess."

He ignored him. Dakota plugged in the TV and turned it on, "There you go."

"Vinnieeeeee..."

"Okay, what's next? OH! Are you hungry now? I can get ya some nice, warm, chicken soup."

"I'm not hungry."

"I'mma go get ya some chicken soup."

Cavendish frowned, "Why are you doing the complete opposite of what I'm telling you to do? Do you not understand basic commands?"

"You're sick, you can't think straight. I gotta do all the thinking for the both of us now."

Cavendish coughed, "Oh good heavens no."

Dakota started walking towards the door, "I'll be right back!"

"Wait!"

Dakota stopped dead in his tracks.

"Could you... Perhaps... Get me the box of tissues from the bathroom before you leave?" Cavendish quietly asked.

Dakota smiled, "Of course my dear friend," he mocked. Dakota gladly acquired the tissue box and gave it to Cavendish before leaving to a nearby restaurant that he's familiar with. They had good soups. When he came back, he made sure to be quiet. Just in case Cavendish was asleep again.

There Cavendish laid. On the bed. Asleep.

Dakota smiled. He quietly walked towards him, putting the bag that contained the soup next to the bed. Since Cavendish is sick, it would probably be better to let him sleep. Dakota walked back to the door, but before he left, he looked at Cavendish one more time.

He looked peaceful.

It might not be a good idea that he's sleeping on his back, but moving him to his side probably will wake him up.

Cavendish should be fine.

Dakota continued to look at him.

Cavendish almost looked like a sleepy kitty resting quietly on the bed.

Quietly.

Still.

Still and quiet.

Dakota's heart dropped.

He couldn't stop himself. He dashed back to Cavendish to get a closer look. Is he still alive? Panic quickly spread through him. Cavendish didn't look dead, but it didn't look like he was breathing either. After seeing Cavendish die a gazillion times, sometimes, he didn't look dead. It would look like he's sleeping. Like now.

"Nononononono..." Dakota quietly mumbled. He reached over to carefully grab his wrist to search for a pulse.

He couldn't feel it.

Now he's freaking out. He moved onto Cavendish's neck. Leaning over him to check for a pulse.

Cavendish suddenly snapped awake and sat up, "What are you doing?"

Dakota jumped back in surprise. He even fell on to the ground. His mouth agape. He was sure he didn't feel a pulse, but maybe in his panic state, he didn't notice it. Now he had to explain himself. "Uh... Sorry! Super sorry! Didn't mean to wake you up! I was just... Tucking you in! Heh heh... I wanted to make sure you wouldn't get cold."

Cavendish looked back at him and rubbed his neck. Exactly where Dakota was checking for his pulse. "Okay?..."

Dakota quickly change the subject. He got up and grabbed the bag he brought back, "I-I got you chicken soup! Yum yum yum!" He pulled out the container of soup and a spoon. "Nice and warm." He opened the container and scooped up a spoon full of soup, "Here comes the train!"

"Blast it all, not this again," Cavendish frowned. He pushed Dakota's hand down to make him drop the spoon back into the soup. Then he took it. The soup did look good, "Thank you," he mumbled.

"No probs!" Dakota pointed some finger guns at him. He watched his partner slowly eat the soup, "Is it good?"

Cavendish nodded.

"Good. Good," Dakota looked at the hand towel, "I'll go cool this down again, kay?" He just needed an excuse to leave the room for him to regather himself.

Cavendish nodded again, "Okay." After Dakota left, he looked at his soup. It is some good chicken soup. Though, it felt weird to be taken care of over something as minor as a cold. Then again... It did feel nice. If he was taking care of himself, he wouldn't have gotten warm soup. He probably would have grabbed the first eatable thing in his kitchen and retreat back to his room or the couch.

Dakota came back with the towel. He put it aside for now since Cavendish's still eating the soup. "How ya feeling now?"

"Better."

Dakota sat down next to Cavendish to rub his back, "Good."

They both watched TV. When Cavendish finished his soup, he laid back down and Dakota put the towel on his forehead again. All he wanted to do was to sleep away his sickness.

When the day came to an end, Dakota insisted to say the night. Cavendish protested, but in the end, Dakota slept on the couch. They went through a similar routine the next day. The day after that, Dakota went home when the day was over. Cavendish was feeling way better and Dakota felt comfortable enough to leave him alone.

Then...

When Monday came around, at work, Dakota was sent home because when he got tested, he contracted the same strain of the cold virus that Cavendish did.

Without a partner, Cavendish couldn't go on their assigned mission, so, he stayed at Dakota's place to take care of him.

Missing more days of work.

Oh well...

Dakota didn't mind, he adored the extra attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmkay. I'm still on vacation. Didn't die. Turns out being on vacation I'm forced to do the "human" thing and go out and socialize. Which is giving me way less time to be a hermit and write these things.
> 
> I got a couple of stuff written down. Though, gotta proofread them before posting them.


	47. Graveyard Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota work the night shift.

It's the night.

No one else around other than Cavendish and Dakota. It's almost eerie how quiet the B.O.T.T building was during the night.

Both of them has never been at work this late before. They were there to clean up the place. To do a job that no one else wanted to do. Like always.

"HELLOOOOOOOO!" Dakota waited. He heard a faint echo of his voice. "Man, it's so quiet."

Cavendish removed his hands from his ears, "Not when you're shouting."

"Ya gotta admit, it's kinda cool."

Cavendish glanced around. He did love silence, but this is uncanny. Most of the lights are off and no one else is around. He just wanted to get this over with so that he can go home. "It is."

"Yeah..." Dakota took out the mop and started mopping the floor.

"What about me? What am I supposed to do?" They only found one mop in the broom closet.

Dakota shrugged, "Look around for trash? Maybe empty some garbage cans?" he kicked a box of trash bags his way.

"Hmh..." Cavendish bent down and picked it up. Splitting up in a situation like this sounded like the beginning of a horror movie. But, he didn't want Dakota to make fun of him for being a bit scared. Not that he was scared. He wasn't scared. He was just... A bit uncomfortable with this.

He walked into the closest room. Even though he wasn't that far from Dakota, because he couldn't see him, the emptiness of the building made him a bit more nervous.

He turned on the lights.

The room is filled with cubicles. He quickly made his way to a trash can. It wasn't that full, but he still took it and replaced it with a new bag. He swung it onto his shoulder before he inspected the cubicles.

It's as if each cubical had their own personality. Cavendish enjoyed that. There's one that was completely clean. Everything is in order but the one right next to it was a complete mess. Candy wrappers, paper, and empty soda cans scattered around.

Cavendish cleaned it up. He even emptied the small trash cans underneath the desks into his trash bag.

The next cubicles has sticky notes everywhere to remind whoever inhabited it about random things. Just reading a few of them, he can already get a good glimpse into this person's life. Though, he didn't really liked meddling in other people's businesses, so he cleaned out the small garbage can and moved on.

After that one, the next cubical was interesting. It had paper airplanes on the desk with things written on it. Cavendish wondered if whoever's cubical this was, did they toss those airplanes to other cubicles as a fun way of communication? Glancing at the things written on it, it looked like love notes. Cavendish thought that was really cute.

Another cubical later, this one is empty so he skipped it. The next one has pictures of dogs everywhere with inspirational quotes on them. The next one was boring and generic. Just a computer with some pens and pencils around.

Then he moved on to the last one.

"Good heavens!" Cavendish clutched his chest. For some stupid reason, this cubical had a dummy sitting at the desk. That scared the bejesus out of him. Realizing that the person was just a dummy, he calmed down. The dummy is all dressed up to look like a person.

He wasn't expecting to see anyone else here.

"You okay in there?!" Dakota shouted from the hallway.

"Yes!" Cavendish shouted back.

"Got spooked?!"

Cavendish frowned, "Noooo!"

He could hear Dakota laughing. He rubbed his forehead before inspecting the cubical. The dummy has a Hawaii shirt on. Looking around, he found notes. Turns out whoever occupied this cubical is gone on vacation. He guessed that the people around here thought it would be funny to put a dummy in his place while he was gone.

After Cavendish was done cleaning this room, he left. Dakota already moved onto a different hallway, cleaning the floor as he made his way down the hall.

Cavendish reunited with him.

"Hey. Done?" Dakota asked.

"Yes, what am I suppose to do with this rubbish?" Cavendish motioned to the now completely filled trash bag.

"I dunno, throw it out in the dumpster outside?"

Cavendish nervously glanced towards the exit.

Dakota smirked, "What? Too spooky for you? You want me to come with you? Maybe hold your hand?"

His dignity is on the line. But it's not like he was scared of the dark, he just... Didn't like it. "No!" he refused the help.

"Suit yourself."

Cavendish turned around and made his way to the exit. As he got further and further away from his partner, anxiety grew inside him.

He quickened his pace.

Every step he took echoed around him. When he finally reached the door, he took in a deep breath before trotting into the darkness of the night. He quickly tossed the trash bag into the dumpster. Afterwards, he immediately turned around to go back into the building. Keeping his head low.

He completely froze when he saw someone else near the entrance.

That person was defiantly not there when he left.

Cavendish cautiously approached the figure, "Hello there?"

The man turned around and faced him. He has long brown hair with gray leaking into it. Along with a scruffy beard, he's a bit chubby and he's wearing a brown trench coat. "Ay there!" he greeted. It sounded like he had an thick Irish accent.

Cavendish didn't know what to do. He wanted to go back into the building but this guy was in the way.

"Yah work here?" The man asked.

"Yes, I do," Cavendish conformed.

"Can ya help an old chap in? For some reason, ma card won't work." The man presented his card.

Cavendish inspected it from a distance. It looked like the old B.O.T.T key card. No wonder it wasn't working. It was outdated. "Oh... May I ask you why you want to enter this building at such a late time?"

"Af course yar interrogating me. Ya know who I am? I'm a first-class agent yer maggot! Who are you? A janitor?"

This escalated quickly. "I do not appreciate being called a maggot..." These were the type of first-class agents he didn't like. The entitled ones.

"Ughhh, I've been trying to get in for a bit. Just annoyed. Ya think they'd at least tell me if they're gonnah change that blasted lock. Been working here for thirty years!"

Cavendish was a bit surprised. Thirty years? He has never seen this guy before. That made him a bit suspicious. Was this guy trying to steal something? Counteragent? Why did he have an old keycard?

"Yah gonna help me or nah?"

"My apologies, I've never seen you before. How would I know that you're not here to steal classified information?"

"Aaaaaghhh..." The man rubbed his forehead, "You may escort me if ya don't trust me."

"Only if you tell me why you're here."

The man rolled his eyes, "I'm here to get ma phone. Left it behind when I went on ah mission."

Cavendish glanced at the door, "I could fetch it for you."

"Mmmhhh" He huffed, "Fine, guess yah just be doin' your job. Cubicle's number is A-7. Little black rectangle phone. Probably still on tha charger."

A-7? Definitely a first-class cubicle. Those were bigger and more private. They were more like offices than cubicles. "Alright, wait here for a moment." Cavendish paused, "May I ask you what's your name?"

"Arthur Ryans."

Cavendish nodded before entering the building again. On the way there, he saw Dakota again.

"You're still alive!" Dakota joked.

"Yes, excuse me," Cavendish walked around him.

"Where are you going?"

"Met a first-class agent outside. He left his phone behind. I'm going to go get it for him."

"Ha, taking on a sidequest? Brick?"

"Ryans."

"Oh, kay."

Cavendish continued on his quest. To get to the first-class section, he needed to take the elevator. Once he's there, he looked for the office number A-7. Once he found it, there is something wrong. Ryans' name wasn't attached to it.

It is Hildegard's office.

He had to double check to make sure the numbers were what he thought they were. He even thought for a moment if he didn't hear him right because of his accent. He could have met eleven instead of seven.

He was wrong, A-11is Brick's office... Cavendish went up and down the hallway looking if there was a number attached to Arther Ryans. There were no offices with his name. He could have meant E-7 instead of A-7? But that floor wasn't a first-class floor. 'A' was reserved for first-class agents.

Feeling defeated, he went back down to the first floor.

He walked past Dakota, "Hey wait, did you say his name was Ryans, Arthur Ryans?"

Cavendish stopped, "Yes?"

"Dude, now that I think about it, that guy doesn't work here anymore."

"Oh... No wonder I didn't find his office... What should I do with the man outside?"

Dakota looked away, "Don't go back. Just, forget about him. Something's not right about this."

"Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe he forgot his phone before getting fired?" Cavendish speculated.

"Arthur Ryans passed during a mission a while ago. Whoever's out there is pretending to be him. That's kind of messed up."

This definitely creeped Cavendish out. "We can't simply leave him out there. What if he's trying to break into the facility?"

"I... Ughhh... I'll take care of this," Dakota pushed him aside and walked off.

"Dakota wait!" Cavendish quickly caught up.

"Balthazar, just," Dakota didn't want him to go with him, but he didn't want to leave him alone either, "Ugh... Just... Stay behind me."

They both went to the entrance of the building. The man is still there. He's still waiting outside near the door. Dakota looked around through the window.

"Where did you see him?"

"He's right there!" Cavendish pointed at the man.

Dakota looked at where Cavendish was pointing but he didn't see him, "I don't see him."

"What do you mean you don't see him? Take off your sunglasses!" He reached for Dakota's sunglasses but he quickly grabbed his arm.

"I can see perfectly fine with my sunglasses on!" Dakota angrily growled.

Ryans saw them, he started to walk to the door. Cavendish started to panic. He pulled his arm away from Dakota's grip. "He's coming this way!"

Dakota looked back outside. He still didn't see anyone. Leaning against the door, he tried to get a better look, but still, he didn't see anyone. Dakota started to get frustrated, "Is this a joke?! Are you pranking me right now? This isn't funny! You're really freaking me out!"

Ryans looked at Cavendish through the door before tapping on it and waving. "HE'S AT THE DOOR! HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE HIM?!" Cavendish tried to keep his voice down but now he was frantic.

"There's no one at the door!" Dakota shouted back.

 _" **A** a **ah** h- **!** "_ Cavendish nervously covered his mouth.

Dakota frowned. Looking one more time and again, seeing no one, he opened the door.

"What are you doing?!" Cavendish watched the guy approach them, "Errr, hello!" he apprehensively greeted.

"Did yah find my phone?" Ryans asked.

Cavendish started to fumble with his hands, "I- y-your office... I couldn't find your phone."

Dakota kept looking around. It looked like Cavendish is talking to himself.

Ryans frowned, "What yah mean you didn't find it? Yah looked on top of my desk, right?"

"Well, I-I checked A-7, though that office now belongs to Hildegard."

"Hildegard? She ain't a first-class agent! First the lock, now they upright gave my office away? That doesn't make sense! Move it! I'll go get it maself." Ryans walked into the building and started to walk towards his office.

Cavendish gave a pleading look towards Dakota.

Dakota closed the door, "See, there was no one there! Don't do that. That wasn't funny. I thought about pranking you but I didn't want to give you a heart attack."

Cavendish covered his face, "Are you seriously telling me you didn't see anyone walk through that door?"

"No one was there. You were talking to yourself. Sheesh! Are you hallucinating or something?"

"Aaah!" Was he hallucinating? That person was too real. That person was talking to him. That person was there!

"I'm going to go back to mopping the floor." Dakota turned around.

"Wait! Vinnie!"

"I'm not in the mood, okay? I just want to get this work over with and go home."

Cavendish watched as his partner walked away. He didn't want to be alone right now. But now Dakota is mad at him now. He needed something to distract him.

Work.

He took a deep breath before going back to clean the rooms again. Every time he thought about what just happened, it would stress himself out. Also, now he wasn't as thorough as he was before while he's cleaning. Doing it as fast as he could. Soon, he filled up another trash bag. Which means he has to go back outside to throw it out.

He practically had a panic attack when he went out to the dumpster again. Every second that would go by slowly filled his soul with more and more terror.

Cavendish only calmed down as soon as he got back into the building.

Moving on to the next floor, now he was emotionally exhausted. All he wanted to do is go home. But, he did have a job to do. Soon, the last floor he was supposed to clean was the first-class floor.

He got into the elevator and braced himself. When the doors of the elevator opened, there is no one else there.

He proceeded to clean the offices. The only thing was, he decided to skip A-7. He did attempt to go in it, but when he reached for the doorknob, he heard a sound come from the room. Jumping away from the door, he practically ran to the next office.

He's more sensitive to any sound around him. While he was cleaning A-8, he was sure he head a door open, but when he left that office, no doors were opened.

Is he going crazy? Probably. The quietness of the building is starting to get to him.

The last room he had to clean is the security camera room. While he was there, he noticed that there is a camera that pointed at the entrance.

The terror that filled his insides, faded away.

Now he's full of curiosity. After messing with the security footage, he replayed what happened to him outside.

...

He watched in complete shock. The footage showed him talking to... Nothing. There was no one else there. Dakota was right. He was talking to himself.

That freaked him out. He couldn't even wrap his mind around it. What happened back there?

"Bo," Dakota said in the most monotone, not scary, voice.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!" Cavendish jumped away from the screens.

"Woah, didn't mean to freak you out that much. That's revenge for earlier. Anyways, you done? I cleaned all the floors and bathrooms."

Cavendish clutched his chest, "Uh, yes."

Dakota's casual reaction quickly turned into concern. Cavendish is literally shaking, "Woah, sorry! Aw geez. I just wanted to get a little bit of revenge, heh... Heh... I wasn't even tryin' to scare you. It's okay, come here." Dakota gave his partner a hug.

Cavendish closed his eyes, "I just want to go home."

"Okay, come on buddy."

After a moment, Dakota let go of him. They both walked towards the elevator.

When they walked next to A-7, he could have sworn he saw something move behind the translucent door window. Instead of bringing it up, he forced himself to ignore it.

It was so relieving when they finally got into their car.

Night shift at B.O.T.T...

That's definitely something Cavendish never wanted to do again.


	48. For the Good of the Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish has to do something for the good of the mission!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Shipping stuff. Let the fan girls scream!

"After him!!!" Cavendish shouted as he ran down the sidewalk.

"Yeah, I'm already on it! Oooof..." Dakota paused for a moment to catch his breath.

"DAKOTA!" Cavendish didn't stop.

"I just need a moment! Ugh, I shouldn't have eaten that third lemon square..."

Cavendish continued to chase the man. For once, they got a mission that wasn't cleaning toilets in the Renaissances or pistachio related.

A B.O.T.T agent has gone rogue.

To spite the guy, Block decided to send their worse agents after him because if he sent their best agents, that's what he would've wanted. Cavendish wasn't a fan of being called 'their worse agents', but he wasn't going to argue. He craved a different mission and this one has got his blood pumping.

The man ran right past a guard and straight into a restaurant. Cavendish attempted to follow him in, but the guard spotted him and stopped him, "Hey!"

Cavendish couldn't stand still. He attempted to go around the bodyguard but he kept blocking his path. "I need to go through!"

"Sorry buddy, couples night only."

Cavendish kept bouncing and fidgeting with his hands. "But that man went in alone!"

"I didn't see anyone go in."

"But-! That-! This isn't fair!"

Dakota finally caught up. He struggled to catch his breath. "I'mma here, what did I miss?"

"See! Now we're a pair, move aside!"

"Ah ah ah," the guard wiggled his finger, "When I said couples, I mean _couples._ Don't blame me. The owner of this joint is all about romance and stuff and since it's valentines day-"

"AAAAH!" Cavendish felt like he was going to explode. The rogue agent was getting away! He looked at Dakota than back at the bodyguard. Cavendish placed his arm around Dakota and smile awkwardly, " _W_ e a _R_ e a _Co_ Up _l_ E," he forced himself to say.

Realizing what was happening, Dakota also smiled awkwardly. He can feel his face heating up.

The guard was unconvinced. He crossed his arms and glared at them.

"Canwegoin?" Cavendish quickly mumbled.

The guard chuckled and shook his head. He smirked, "Prove it."

...

Cavendish and Dakota looked at each other. Dakota could see the panic on Cavendish's face. He decided to speak up, "Woah buddy, don't wanna disgust you with our PDA."

"Than you two," the guard pointed at them, "Aren't going in."

"Oh for the love of!" Cavendish covered his mouth. The longer this takes, the further away the rogue agent will be. The guy probably already went out the back door and now they were just wasting time. Cavendish felt completely embarrassed. He knew his face was probably as red as a tomato at this point, but he couldn't afford to waste any more time! Looking back at Dakota, he can see that he was blushing too. Cavendish decided that he had no other options. It was for the good of the mission. He'll just have to apologize for what he's about to do later. He uncovered his mouth then placed both of his hands on Dakota's jacket. He could see Dakota's eyes widen before Cavendish closed his eyes, pulled him close, and leaned in.

Because of their height differences, Cavendish hand to bend down to kiss him.

Dakota felt paralyzed. He couldn't believe what was happening.

Cavendish quickly pushed Dakota away, pulled him close again, and looked back at the guard, "See? Couple."

The bodyguard burst out laughing, "A couple of idiots!"

"BUT YOU SAID-!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you two can go in, hahaha. If you two are THAT desperate to get in, go ahead," the guard moved aside while he continued to laugh.

Cavendish felt completely humiliated, but, he didn't have time to think about that. He ran into the restaurant to look for the rogue agent.

Dakota stood there in front of the entrance. He wasn't sure how to take in what happened. Did Cavendish just kiss him? On the lips? It was at that moment he realized he was holding his breath. Humans need oxygen to live. He took a deep breath and unconsciously raised his hand up to his mouth.

The things he was feeling... This isn't what he's suppose to feel. Which kind of freaked him out. He wasn't disgusted or grossed out. He felt lightheaded, weak at the knees, and flustered.

His heart was pounding like a drum.

He was struggling to process what just happened.

This wasn't right.

This wasn't normal.

"Aren't you going to go in?" the guard asked.

"Uh..." Dakota shook his head, "Yeah, um, I just... _Oooof..._ " he ran a hand through his curly hair. He took one more deep breath before going into the restaurant.

He doubts at this point he'll be able to catch up to Cavendish. He really needed to sit down for a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA! I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO ADD PICTURES! CHAPTER 49 IS WHEN I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT! 48 CHAPTERS THAT WENT PICTURELESS UNTIL NOW! I decided to go back to this one to add picssssss! <3


	49. Drunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dakota gets drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: A bit dark/ship stuff

It is starting to be harder and more confusing.

So he started drinking.

Maybe it'll ease the pain and help him forget.

Of course, it is only temporary.

Dakota didn't know what went wrong. At first, it was horrible when Cavendish died, then, he became numb to it, but now... It's somehow worse. He didn't want to go to the island. One day he'll have to. At least, a part of him would have to go.

The recent versions of himself, who would have to go to the island, aren't doing well. Since he isn't on the island, he didn't know what the other Dakotas are doing about it.

But here he is, laying on the couch staring at his phone. It's the weekend. A time where he could drink and Cavendish wouldn't know about it. He didn't want him to get all worried. On the weekend, it is easier to get away with things like this.

If he's not keeping an eye on his partner, it'll cost him two Dakota's if he does die. One to see what happened and the other to actually save him without him noticing. But, He decided to risk it, after all, since they didn't work on the weekend, there is a way lower chance of him dying.

So he decided to occasionally message him during the weekend to make sure he's fine. If he got a reply, at least that means he's still alive. But this time, nothing.

Dakota messaged Cavendish two hours ago.

Still no reply.

So he started drinking. Not a good habit, but Cavendish never took longer than an hour to reply during the day. If Cavendish did die, nothing in this timeline matters anymore. May as well drink the stuff he has now so that when he goes back in time, they'll magically reappear. He could relax a bit and wait until he's sobers up, then he can save Cavendish from whatever happened to him this time.

Now he is starting to feel woozy. The alcohol is definitely kicking in.

Ding!

His phone made a sound. That woke him up a bit. He reached over and picked up his phone. It is Cavendish.

Cavendish: I'm fine, I woke up not too long ago. Accidentally fell asleep on the couch.

Dakota felt a sudden wave of relief. Cavendish is still alive. He didn't need to go back in time.

Dakota: Oh gooood yur alive

After he sent the message, he realized that maybe he isn't in the right mindset to be talking to Cavendish right now. He tried to erase what he just typed out, but that didn't work because he already sent the message.

Cavendish: Of course I'm still alive. I'm not that old.

Dakota: No tat not wat i mean

Cavendish: ...

Cavendish: Vinnie? Are you alright?

Dakota shook his head and tried to reread what he typed. It made sense when he typed it out. It looked right. But looking back at it, it isn't right and now Cavendish is starting to worried.

Dakota: No im fine

Cavendish: You're not writing properly.

Dakota: Imm fin e ! Seriousluy

Dakota wasn't sure what to do. He needed to put his phone away and avoid it until he's sober, but then Cavendish would worry about him even more if he suddenly stopped replying. He needed to sober up fast. He got up and stumbled to the bathroom to splash water on his face. On his way, he tripped and fell. It didn't hurt, but it'll probably hurt in the morning.

He managed to splash water on his face. It did help a bit.

From the bathroom, he heard his phone get another notification. He went back to the living room to look at his phone. Picking it up, he had to put it back down again when he realized his hands are still wet. He wiped them on his pants before he picked up the phone again.

Cavendish: Are you drunk?

Uh oh...

It took him a good five minutes to make sure he wrote everything properly.

Dakota: No I''m not. Just tired. You dont need to worry about me.

It took a moment for Cavendish to reply.

Cavendish: Alright then. How was your day?

Dakota: Im fine, how are u

Cavendish: A little bit drowsy. I'm preparing myself some tea at the moment.

Dakota: Cools

Cavendish: You do know we have work tomorrow? Right?

Dakota: Duh ehy yu ask?

Cavendish: Because you're drunk!

Vinnie frowned.

Dakota: No im not!

Cavendish: Who do you have a crush on?

That was an unexpected question. Dakota isn't sure how to respond to that. He had to reread it a couple of times to make sure that's what Cavendish asked.

Dakota: Wat kind ov questin is that u sure yur not the drunk one ?

Dakota: I tink your druk

Cavendish: You are definitely drunk.

Ring ring!

"AAAAHHH!" Dakota dropped his phone on his coffee table. His phone is ringing. Cavendish is calling him. He can't answer his phone or else Cavendish will absolutely know he is drunk. He swiped at his phone to ignore the call but he accidentally answered it.

"Vinnie?" Cavendish greeted.

"Huh? Wait no," Dakota tapped on his phone to try to end the call.

"Dakota!"

Nothing is working so he decided to submit to his current situation, "Heeeeyyy Cav."

"Did you try to hang up on me?"

"Noooooooo... Why would I do that?"

"Is everything alright? You don't strike me as someone who would drink on the weekend."

"I'm not drunk Cav! Seriouslllly!"

"You sound drunk. Is everything alright?"

Hearing Cavendish's voice is way more different than reading text messages. At least he can think before he sends a text but due to his state of mind, he couldn't think properly before words come out of his mouth, "Okay, maybe I'm drunk... I was feeling bad so I drank."

Cavendish paused for a moment before replying, "Why were you feeling bad?"

"I've been not feeling good for a while..." Dakota couldn't hold back his feelings anymore. He started to cry.

Cavendish could hear him from his phone, "Vinnie! Hang in there, I'm coming over."

"Nonononon wait! No!" Dakota looked at his phone but Cavendish already hung up. "No!"

Dakota: No domnt com over!!!

Dakota: Dont!!!

Dakota: Imfine!

Dakota: Seriouslt

Dakota: Cavefntis

Dakota: Cav

Cavendish isn't replying. Because he isn't replying, Dakota started to panic.

Dakota: Reply

Dakota: Cav

Dakota: Pleas

Dakota: U stil alibe

Dakota: ?

Knock knock knock!

"AAAAH!" Dakota screamed. Now there's someone knocking at the door. Before he could react properly, the door opened.

It's Cavendish.

"Cav!"

Cavendish looked around. Dakota's apartment looks a bit messy. But the first things he noticed are the bottles and cans on his coffee table and around the couch. Also, Dakota is a bit dishevelled.

Cavendish frowned, "Vinnie... You are drunk..."

Dakota felt cornered. There is no way to convince Cavendish he was okay. So he gave up. He covered his face in shame and cried.

"Vinnie! No! Errr..." Cavendish sat next to him on the couch. He wasn't sure what to do. He was always terrible at comforting people. He tried to give Dakota a side hug, but Dakota pulled him into a real hug and buried his head in his chest. Cavendish wasn't sure what else to do so he started to rub Dakota's back.

After a while, Dakota started to calm down.

"What's wrong?" Cavendish asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it..."

"Okay, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."

Dakota felt much better in Cavendish's arms. He never hugged him for this long before. "Can you stay here tonight? I want you to stay... Please stay... Please...."

Cavendish sighed, "Oh alright, alright... I'll stay."

"Good," Dakota held Cavendish even closer.

"Whatever's wrong, it'll be okay. If you need anyone to talk to, you can always talk to me about it."

"Oooh Cav... Cavvvvv... I wove you.... Please don't leave."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," Dakota pushed away and looked at Cavendish. He leaned in closer.

"Uh, Dakota?" Cavendish leaned away. "I think you need to go to sleep. It'll make you feel better."

"But I'mm not tired..." Dakota wrapped his arms above Cavendish's shoulders. He leaned in closer, their faces just inches apart.

Cavendish carefully pushed him away, "Errr, you need to go to sleep. You're- you're drunk." Cavendish got off the couch and helped Dakota up.

Dakota pouted, "Ookkay..."

Cavendish led Dakota to his bedroom. He put him to bed, making sure that he's laying on his side and not on his back. After tucking him in, Cavendish walked towards the door.

"Noooo, dun't leave..."

"I'm not leaving, I'll be in the living room."

"Nooooo, stay here."

Cavendish sighed, "I'll be in the other room. If you need me, holler."

"Nooooo!" Dakota sat up.

"Dakota, no, you need to rest." Cavendish walked back to Dakota to lay him back down on the bed.

"You said you'll stayyy."

Cavendish sighed again, "Do you have any spare blankets or pillows?"

"Why?"

Cavendish rolled his eyes, he walked over to the other side of the bed and took a pillow. After that, he left the room.

"Caaaaaaavvvvv!"

Cavendish walked back into the room, "I'm here, I'm here. I remembered seeing a blanket on the couch." Cavendish lifts up his arm to show he is holding a blanket.

"Oooh okay." Dakota yawned.

Cavendish threw the pillow on the ground near Dakota's bed then lied down. He would much rather sleep on the couch, but if this made Dakota feel better, then that's what he'll do. Even if that means he'll be tired and sore at work tomorrow.

He took off his hat and glasses to put them next to him. After that, he stared at the ceiling.

There's obviously something wrong with Dakota, but he didn't know what. He's been seeing him less and less during the weekend. Is this what he has been doing instead? Is Dakota depressed? Cavendish had his share depression. He knew what it felt like. Everyone had their own way of dealing with it. Maybe this is Dakota's way of dealing with it? It's not like he has a better way of dealing with it. When he would become depressed, his mind would keep telling him how pointless and worthless his life is. It would give him dark thoughts. Really dark thoughts. Thoughts he didn't want to admit he had. The only way to get him to snap out of it is to act out. Punch a wall or something. That would result in him hurting himself. Which isn't good, but it is a distraction. It would get him to stop thinking about it.

"Cavvvv?" Dakota mumbled.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

Cavendish shifted a bit, "It's fine. This is what friends do."

"I'mma mess..."

"No you're not."

"Yes I ammm... I keep thinking things I shouldn't think oooof."

Cavendish became uneasy, "What kind of thoughts?"

"Not good ones."

Cavendish looked over at Dakota, "You can talk to me about it if you want."

"That'll make things woooooorse!"

Cavendish sighed, "I'm worried about you Dakota... You're my only true friend. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Aggghh," Dakota mumbled, "Don't. Don't say that. Don't worry. Evything if fine..."

Fiddling with his hands, Cavendish tried to think of what could have caused this, "Is this because of our current work status? I know cleaning loos in the Renaissance isn't... Pleasant. Though, things can be worse?"

"Pppffff! Hahaha! You said looooooo!" Dakota burst out laughing.

"Vinnie..."

Of course Dakota isn't taking this too seriously, he's drunk.

"Goodnight Vinnie..." Cavendish gave up. At this point, if Dakota didn't want to talk about it, he isn't going to force him. He's not thinking properly. The last thing he wanted to do is to take advantage of his partner's current state to get him to admit to things he would never admit to if he was sober. That would be wrong. Though... This whole situation is definitely concerning. Before this, Dakota always seemed like the positive one out of the two of them. This... This seemed completely out of character. Which is worse. Because this means Dakota is bottling up his emotions. That isn't healthy.

"G'night!!!" Dakota shouted.

Maybe when he's sober in the morning he'll talk about what's wrong. But, if he kept it a secret for this long, maybe he won't...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOPS! I "ACCIDENTALLY" FOUND OUT HOW TO ADD PICTURES! OH WELL! SUCH A SHAME! WHATCHA GONNA DO?!


	50. The Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota goes to the movies to sabotage Brick and Savannah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Ship stuff.

There are several movie posters, but only two of them were important. One's a romance, the other is an action movie.

Both airing tonight.

Neither of them interested Cavendish.

"So," Dakota spoke up, "Which one do you want to watch?"

"I'd prefer to watch a film at home."

"Come on, we're already here."

"Doesn't mean we have to attend the theatre, Brick and Savannah will be in the lobby."

"But we're still payin' to get in! I know we're all about sabotaging their mission, saving the world one pistachio cart at a time. And I'm totally fine with that! As long as we don't have to pay."

Cavendish sighed, "Fine, which one do you want to watch?"

Dakota looked at the choices again. There were only two options. Two movies playing tonight. Krillhunter XVI: Krill or be Krilled, a movie about a krill hunter, or Love at First Fight, a movie about two CIA agents falling in love.

"Well?" Cavendish encouraged.

"Oh, uhhh," Obviously Krillhunter, but why was the other movie also so appealing?

"Do you want to watch Love at First Fight?" Cavendish asked when he noticed Dakota staring at that poster.

"Oh! I mean, if you want to watch it," he shrugged and rubbed the back of his head.

"It's a chick flick Dakota. This poster is misleading. It's mostly about romance, not action."

"How do you know?"

"I keep getting advertisements on my quantum localized ever since we've entered this time period. How? Who are they paying to play that annoying advertisment on future technology? Especially on something so vital? How would you feel if you had to listen to an advertisement before calling the authorities? What has this world come to?"

"So is that a no?"

Cavendish sighed, "If you want to watch it, Dakota, that's fine. We're not even here to watch a movie, remember? Brick and Savannah?"

"I don't want to pick a movie you don't want to watch..."

"Oh my goodness!" Cavendish stormed towards the ticket booth, "Two tickets for Love at First Fight." Cavendish paid for the tickets and handed one to Dakota, "Here, happy? Those annoying advertisements worked, let's go in."

Dakota took the ticket and followed his partner into the movie theatre.

"There!" Cavendish pointed at the pistachio booth in the snack area.

They both tried to hide behind a pillar, "What's the plan?" Dakota asked.

"We go up to the pistachio cart..."

Dakota nodded.

"Then we destroy it!" Cavendish threw his fist in the air.

"Then we go watch a movie!"

"No."

Dakota face dropped, "But-"

"After we destroy it, we'll have to run for it."

Dakota crossed his arms, "Why did you ask me what movie I wanted to watch if we weren't going to watch a movie?"

"I didn't even want to watch a film!" Cavendish silently shouted.

"But we paid to get in."

"We? I paid for the tickets!"

Dakota looked over at Brick and Savannah. People were buying pistachios. "We can destroy it after the movie."

"Spend a couple of minutes destroying a pistachio cart, or spend over an hour to destroy a pistachio cart? Which one? Hmmm?" Cavendish sarcastically asked.

Dakota shrugged, "It's not like you have anything better to do."

Cavendish frowned, "For your information, I have prior engagements!"

Dakota's eyes widened, "Engagements? With who?"

"That is none of your business."

"Well, fine, whatever. You're a time traveller, you're not gonna be late for your 'prior engagements'."

Cavendish crossed his arms, "We are not permitted to use time travel all willy-nilly like that!"

"What are you two idiots doing here?!" Brick shouted at them.

Both Cavendish and Dakota jumped, "We, errrrr..." Cavendish lifted his ticket up to show to Brick, "We're here to watch a film, heh heh..."

Brick glared at them, "Love at First Fight? Seriously? There's no way you two have dates."

They stayed silent.

"You two are here to sabotage our mission!"

"Nooooo..." Dakota denied.

"If you two are not here to watch a movie, why else would you be here?"

"We are here to watch a film. Meeting you here was simply a coincidence," Cavendish lied.

"Going to see a romance movie with no dates? That's pathetic. Alright, go ahead. The doors are over there, " Brick pointed at the entrance to the theatre that's about to play Love at First Fight.

"Yes! Of course!" Cavendish started to go in that direction. "Come now, Dakota."

Dakota followed him. Before entering the theatre, he looked back at Brick. He did a hand jester to indicate that he was going to keep an eye on them.

After showing the tickets to the ticket guy, they were in. Cavendish sighed, "Great... Why couldn't you at least picked Krillhunter?"

"You were the one who got the tickets."

Cavendish lifted up a finger, "With no intentions of actually watching a film."

"Whatever, this movie can't be that bad. Look, there's a bunch of people here," Dakota pointed at the people in the theatre.

"Couples, Vinnie." Cavendish pointed out that most people there were with someone of the opposite gender.

Dakota shrugged, "Meh," then, he sat down at a seat that's in the back of the theatre, near the entrance.

Cavendish sat down next to him.

The movie began to play. Of course, advertisements played before the movie.

"Why do you think this movie is going to be bad anyway?" Dakota whispered.

"It's a romance movie."

"So?"

"So? They are all the same. Unreallicticly attractive people fall in love, something gets between them, they argue, break up, sad music, then they realize how much they love each other, they get back together and live happily ever after. The end," Cavendish explained.

"Not all romance movies are like that."

"I don't like them because they give people unrealistic expectations. I'm surprised that you like them."

Dakota shrugged, "I mean, I don't really watch them. Unless they're a comedy."

"Then why did you want to watch this?"

"It was this or Krillhunter. Practically all Krillhunter movies are the same."

Cavendish pouted, "You do have a point there. Though at least those movies aren't all lovey-dovey."

"Isn't there some girls that the guy falls in love with?"

"Love-interests, they aren't the main focus of the movie. I'm fine with that."

"Well, maybe this movie will be good, ya don't know till you watch it," Dakota said as soon as the actual movie started.

"I highly doubt that."

As the movie played, Dakota realized that they were missing something important. Something very very important. Movie snacks. "You hungry?"

"I'm guessing you are?" Cavendish whispered back.

"I'll get something, want anything?"

"Paying for overpriced snacks? No thank you," Cavendish grumbled.

"Alrighty, be right back, " Dakota got up and made his way back to the lobby for some snackage. The lobby's mostly empty by now since both of the movies are playing. Just some people getting late snacks like himself and, of course, employee.

Popcorn is an obvious 'must get' for movie snacks. Only a large will do. And a small soda, he's not an animal.

He noticed that Brick stared at him the whole time while Savannah served the costumes. So, he decided that after he got his drink and popcorn, he'd go annoy them. But when it was time to annoy them, Brick was gone. Only Savannah remains at the stand.

"Hey beautiful, one bag of pistachios."

Savannah gave him the stink eye as she poured him a bag of pistachios.

"You know, that outfit is cute on you." Dakota pointed at her pistachio themed outfit, "It makes you look less, you know, like you wanna kill me."

"Why are you and Cavendish here? Watching a chick flick?"

"Because we wanna."

"This isn't a professional way of using time travel. You can be in trouble just by being here."

"We are using our time travel off hours, no crimes are bein' committed," Dakota smiled.

"Why waste them on this? You can just watch it at home in the future. Is the movie really that good?"

"We don't know if it's good yet, that's why we're here."

"But Brick said you two didn't even bring dates! Why would you two-" Savannah paused for a bit, "Wait a minute... Are you two?"

"Are we two what?"

"Tooogetherrrrr?" Savannah cautiously asked.

"Well, we did come here together. We didn't just randomly come across each other outside and decided to watch the movie together."

Savannah frowned. She decided to go straight to the point, "No, I'm asking if you two are on a date. With each other."

...

...

"WHAT?! WOAH WOAH woooooah! No no no! Nopedy. No no, " Dakota denied.

"That is way too many nos! You two are totally on a date! Gross!" Savannah made a face.

"No no no! What don't you understand by the word no?! Don't say stuff like that!"

"Look," Savannah leaned against the pistachio cart, "It's cool with me. I won't tell Block. I know a lot of co-workers who dated each other secretly. You'd think it doesn't happen, but it does. They just learn to keep their mouth shut or else Block will split them apart," Savannah whispered.

Dakota smirked, "Does that mean you and Brick are dating?"

"Ack gross! I mean we tried, but there's no chemistry what so ever. He's as boring as a brick and don't get me started with his abandonment issues."

"He has abandonment issues?"

"Big time, but that's not the point. What I'm saying is that you can stop it with the fake flirting mumbo jumbo with me now. It's annoying."

Dakota leaned against the pistachio cart, "Cavendish and I aren't dating, okay? Don't go around telling people that. We're here to sabotage your mission."

Savannah nodded and leaned back, "AH HA! You admit it! Yup, that makes way more sense. There's no way Cavendish would go on a date with you."

Dakota leaned back too and frowned, "Hey..."

"Yeah, Cavendish is like a cat and you're like a dog. They don't mix."

"Sometimes cats and dogs can be friends..."

"Yeah, but," Savannah chuckled, "There's just no way that would ever happen. You two dating? Ha!"

"Where's Brick?" Dakota tried to change the subject.

"Cavendish would never, not even in a million years-"

Dakota snapped, "I GET IT! I... I get it..." He grumbled and looked away.

That caught Savannah's interest, "What's up? Talk to aunty Savannah."

Dakota pouted, "I don't wanna..."

"Look, you are annoyingly pathetic. But in a weird way, I think we can be f... Fffff... Frrrr..."

"Are you trying to say... Friends?"

"Yeah. That word."

Dakota gave her a skeptical look, "And why would I want that?"

"Because your only friend is Cavendish and if there's something you want to talk about, but you can't talk to him about it, who else can you talk to?"

"But you're just gonna make fun of me and tell Cavendish."

Savannah huffed, "I won't."

Dakota thought for a moment, "Fine... Only if you tell me where's Brick."

"He went to go spy on Cavendish. Don't worry, he's not here. He's not going to spill the beans."

At this point, he didn't really care anymore. He could always go back in time and undo all of this if she tells Brick and Brick tells Cavendish and then their friendship will get all weird. He put down his popcorn and drink onto the pistachio cart. "Mmmmhhh! Okay! I've been feeling all weird around Cavendish and I don't know how to make it stop."

"Define 'weird'."

"You know! Weird! Just being around him stresses me out."

"Did you two get in a fight?" Savannah asked.

"No! The other kind of weird!"

"Other kind of weird, what are you talking about?"

"Like... The like-like type of weird," Dakota looked away and shut his mouth.

"Oh wow! I was kidding earlier! You mean, you," she pointed at him, "Love Cavendish?"

Dakota covered his ears, "Uck! Don't say it! Don't say it!"

"Ooooookay, weird... Really weird. I did not see that coming. Well, I did. But I was joking." Savannah shook her head, "Okay, okay. So what are you going to do about it?"

"I just want that feeling to go away. I want things to go back to normal. Why does this have to be so, ugh!"

Savannah scratched her head, "Have you ever had this kind of feeling for a guy before?"

"No! And that's what's freaking me out! What is wrong with me?"

"Vinnie, listen. It's fine to have feelings for someone who's the same gender as you." Savannah explained.

"I know that! I know! I'm not against that kind of stuff! It's just... I never really thought of me being like that. I mean, I'm not girly. I don't like girl stuff. I got sideburns. I barely take showers. I'll eat junk food until I'm about to puke!"

"So?"

"So? I'm not girly!" Dakota defended himself.

"That doesn't really matter. Yes, those type of guys are sometimes more girly. But not all the time. After all, they're still guys."

"Whatever, I don't want to mess things up. Cav's my only friend! What if I tell him I have feeeeeeeling for him and then I realize I don't? It would make him feel weird around me for no reason. Or it could end our friendship!"

"Well, that's your choice. To be honest with you, Cavendish really likes you, but I don't think he likes likes you. Luckily for you, I think he's the type of person who won't end a friendship because of something like this. He won't make fun of you. He won't embarrass you or use your feelings to take advantage of you. He's Cavendish."

Dakota let that sink in, "You're probably right about that. But I'm not even sure what I'm feeling. I don't want to make things more complicated for no reason. And maybe you're wrong. You don't know Cavendish that well. Maybe he'll just leave. And tell Block about it and then he'll split us up! And then I'll never see him again!"

"Woah, dramatic much? This is Cavendish we are talking about."

"I know! But I don't know! I don't know how he'll react! My brain is just being stupid. He's my only friend. We spend so much time together. My brain is just getting error messages."

Savannah sighed, "Okay, let's back up. Are we talking about platonic love?"

"Platonic, what's that?"

"It's when you love someone, but you don't wanna smooch them and stuff."

Dakota broke eyecontact.

"Do you love him platonically?"

Dakota could feel his face warming up. This is definitely a question he doesn't want to answer. But by hesitating, he already knew he gave her the answer.

"Ew, gross. Gross. Seriously? Ew. Cavendish is like in his fifties. Ew."

"I don't know! Sometimes I think about it, but like, I don't think about it all the time!"

"Yeah, but-. Ew!" Savannah cringed.

"I know!"

"You need to get out more."

"I know! Dakota repeated.

Savannah took a deep breath, "But there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, I can not picture you two dating. At all. I see Cavendish as like an asexual entity. The crush he has on Hildegard weirds me out."

"You know about that?"

"Everyone knows! It's so obvious. I bet that makes you super jealous," Savannah smirked.

"Not at all. I don't care," Dakota answered a bit too quickly.

"Whatever, that's not the point. What I'm saying is Cavendish is like a grandpa. I don't want to think about him dating."

"Okay, fine. Just forget I said anything," Dakota looked down, "Do you at least have any advice on how to get over a dumb crush?"

"Usually I get it out of my system. Because if I don't do anything about it, I can't stop thinking about it. That's probably what's happening to you," Savannah pointed out.

"How do I get it out of my system?"

"Find someone else to crush over or spill your guts."

Dakota smiled and wiggled his eyebrows, "You busy this weekend?"

"No."

"You don't have plans? That's great! We can-"

"When I said no, I meant there's no way I'll spent my precious weekend time with you." Savannah interrupted.

Dakota lowered his shoulders and sighed, "See? I try to move on but it's not working."

"You don't have feeling for me! Stop being an idiot! By jumping into a relationship without having any feeling for them will just make things worse. That won't fix anything." Savannah pinched the bridge of her noise, "Okay, how I see it, you need to figure out if you love him platonically or not. You might be confused because you spend so much time with him, or maybe, just maybe, you've been stuck in the closet for thirty years without knowing it."

"I'm flattered that you think I'm thirty."

"I'm not hitting on you." Savannah clarified. "Just think about it this way. Push the whole gender thing aside. I know gender is kinda important when it comes to relationship stuff, but don't think about Cavendish being a guy. Think about whether or not you actually have romantic feelings for Cavendish. If you do, maybe try to get some information out of him before confessing. Maybe he's in the closet too. If so, then maybe you two can share a closet or whatever," she shrugged.

"Mmhhhmmm. I don't know... Maybe you're right." Suddenly, Dakota realizes something, "WAIT! CAVENDISH! He's watching the movie without me! I've already been gone too long," Dakota picked up his snacks again, including the pistachio bag, "It was... It was weirdly nice talking to you. Don't tell anyone about this! K, bye!" Dakota sprinted towards the theatre.

"Yeah.. Ha... Wait. You didn't pay for that-! At whatever... Why do I even care?"

* * *

 Dakota sat down on his seat, "What did I miss?" he whispered.

"Everything, " Cavendish reached over to steal some popcorn.

"Hey!"

"I paid for you to get in."

"You said you didn't want anything."

"That's an extraordinary amount of popcorn. I'm helping you." Cavendish mocked.

"You're mean."

"You left me here to suffer alone."

Dakota decided to put the popcorn in between them. If Cavendish wants some, that's okay. He's Cavendish.

The movie was practically what Cavendish thought it would be. Bad.

But it was better with Dakota. They both made fun of the movie. It was a weird mix of, 'it's so bad, it's good'.

When they left, they saw that the pistachio stand was already destroyed. Brick and Savannah were cleaning up the mess. Apparently, Milo and his friends went to go watch Krilhunter. It's almost as if they didn't need to sabotage their mission because Milo is already unintentionally doing it for them.

So they wasted over an hour watching a bad movie for no reason.

Oh well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also added pics to "For The Good Of The Mission" ;)


	51. No Tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's no tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: LONG! OH GOD! Is this the longest chapter I wrote? Feels like it.

DIIIIINNNNGGG!

Cavendish snapped awake. With a yawn, he turned off his alarm clock.

This morning, he feels like rubbish. Probably because he knows that after his morning routine, he'll have to go to work.

Work...

He's practically a time travelling janitor at this point. How did this even happen? He has twenty years of studying time travel. If he wanted to become a janitor, he could have just skipped all of that and become one for a school or something.

But there was something still cool about having the ability to time travel, even if it was being used for something as pointless as cleaning bathrooms in the Renaissance.

It might actually be better to lay low and just do what they're being told to do. He didn't want to get fired.

After finding the will to get up, he got out of his nightgown and into his iconic suit.

Tea. Tea in the morning always seems to put him in a happier mood. So, he made himself some. Then he sat down on his couch and turned on the TV to try to help him relax. The news was depressing. That was defiantly not helping his mood. Lately, the only news they ever talk about is how many people losing their jobs due to robots.

The whole time he was trying to find something else to watch, he finished his tea. Oh well.

Then he scavenged around for something to make his stomach calm down. Even though he was always told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, he often didn't even feel hungry in the morning. Usually, he'll just snack on something quick. Banana, bar, apple, crackers, muffin... Anything that can be eaten right away without preparing anything. This time, he went for the last muffin in his cupboards. After getting it down, it was time to get out the door.

It's still early in the morning. Work doesn't even start for another half an hour. But he liked to walk to work. Not counting their company vehicle, he didn't actually own a car. Most people didn't at this point. Self-driving taxies were just so much cheaper and safer than actually owning and driving a car. Walking to work saved a little bit of money and it gives him an excuse to exercise before work.

About thirty minutes later, he arrived at the Bureau of Time Travel. Things were normal. People drinking coffee and talking to one another. This early in the morning, people aren't preoccupied with things yet.

Cavendish walks by them. He never mingled with them. Those people were second-class agents. They didn't talk to him, he didn't talk to them.

He walks right into the elevator and tapped on the button for his floor. Before the elevator's doors closed, he saw Hildegard rushing his way. He quickly stopped the elevator with his foot from closing.

Hildegard got in with both of her hands filled with stacks of paper, "Thanks! Floor eighteen please!"

Cavendish nodded with a smile. He pressed on the eighteen-floor button. He stood back as the elevator's doors close. As he stood back, he unintentionally elbowed Hildegard which caused her to accidentally drop her stack of paper. "Oh my goodness!" Cavendish jumped back.

"No! Errrr!" Hildegard quickly bent down to pick it all up.

"Sorry!" Cavendish did the same to help her.

"It-it's fine."

The elevator stopped at his floor, "Drat..."

"Just go," Hildegard ordered.

"But-"

Hildegard swiped the paper Cavendish was holding, "Just go!"

Cavendish caved in and left before the social consequences that would come his way if the doors of the elevator close and then he'd be stuck in there with her. When the doors closed behind him, he sighed. Ever since she got promoted, they've been drifting apart big time. And after that interaction, he's sure that she'll start to dislike him. He decided to just put that embarrassing interaction aside and head towards the break room. That's where he found Dakota.

"Hey," Dakota greeted with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Morning..." Cavendish mumbled.

Dakota quickly gave a look of concern, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Oh come on, I know that's not true."

"It has been a bland morning," Cavendish spat out.

"Mmmhmm.." Dakota took a sip of his coffee.

Cavendish walked over to the water cooler to get a drink of water. He needed something to help wash away his embarrassment.

"We got a new mission," Dakota announced.

"Does it involve the Renaissance?"

Dakota smiled, "How did you guess?"

"Oh, what a surprise. I am honestly shocked."

"I know right?"

Cavendish finished his water. Then he tossed the little cup into the trash, "Let's get this over with."  
  
Dakota pat Cavendish on the back, "You sound so happy right now."

"This is beyond demeaning," Cavendish started to walk towards the exit.

Dakota followed him, "Look at the bright side, we still have jobs and we're still time travellers!"

Cavendish sighed, "A time travelling janitor... I'm a time travelling janitor..."

"That's the spirit!"

"Oh zip it."

* * *

Cavendish slowly peeled off his long yellow rubber gloves. They both completed their very important mission.

"See, that wasn't that bad." Dakota shrugged.

"Maybe for you."

"You sure you're supposed to use those gloves? I mean, I don't think those were invented yet."

"You're wearing gloves as well!" Cavendish growled.

Dakota glanced down at his hands, "Yeah, but, they're way less obvious." His gloves were small white latex gloves.

"If I have to do this job, I'll do it my way."

Dakota grabbed a couple of cleaning supplies. They were getting ready to leave. "I thought you were all about following the rules."

"We go out of our way to sabotage our superiors. At this point, why should I care?"

Dakota cringed, "Aw gross. Did you seriously just called Brick and Savannah our superiors?"

"They are first-class. We are third-class. By definition, they are superior to us."

"Pffff, they are first-class trash. They just have a fancy title. They're not better than us."

"They are."

"Nah uh! Don't say that! Ya know what? How about we get some ice cream?" Dakota shoved all their equipment into the back of their vehicle.

"We don't deserve ice cream..." Cavendish placed his gloves with the equipment.

"We do! We saved the world from pistachions!"

BEEP BEEP.

Their communicator rang.

Cavendish answered it. Mr. Block appeared on screen, "You two done yet?"

"Yes sir," Cavendish replied.

"Great, get back to HQ! There's a clogged toilet on the seventh floor."

"But sir! We just spent-"

"I don't care! Just do it or you're FIRED! Got it?"

Cavendish lowered his head, "Yes sir."

"Good." And with that, Block hung up.

Dakota sighed, "There goes the ice cream date."

"Unclogging toilets? Crimany!" Cavendish angerly put his communicator away. He stomped his way to the driver's side of their time vehicle.

Cavendish stayed quiet while they travelled back to the future. He had a scowl practically permanently slapped onto his face. He stormed out of the vehicle, grabbed his cleaning supplies, and made his way to the building without saying a word to his partner.

Dakota quickly tried to catch up with his own cleaning supplies, "Hey come on Cav."

The got into the elevator.

"This isn't that bad."

Cavendish pressed the button for the seventh floor.

Dakota frowned, "Talk to me." He tried to make that sound less of a demand and more of an encouragement. It was one thing if Cavendish constantly complained about their job, it was a whole different thing if he gets quiet.

Cavendish kept his mouth shut.

"Have you ever noticed your last name sounds like candy dish? Cavendish, candy dish. Maybe that's why we're friends, because your name sounds like food. Heh heh..." Dakota awkwardly chuckled.

The lights flickered in the elevator before making a loud SCREEECH noise. Then, elevator doors opened. Only the top half of the elevator is on the seventh floor. Without even hesitating, Cavendish threw his cleaning supplies through the gap before trying to climb his way out of there.

The elevator slid down an inch. Suddenly Dakota realized the danger they were it. Correction, the danger Cavendish is in. He quickly grabbed his partner's leg and pulled him back into the elevator with an enormous amount of strength.

"WOAH!" Cavendish screeched. He got pulled back into the elevator and practically onto his partner, "DAKOTA!" A second later, the elevator started to fall all the way back to the first floor. "AAAAAAAHH!"

With a loud BANG, the elevator hit the last floor. There was a 'ding' sound before the elevator doors opened.

Both of them were dazed, but not hurt.

Dakota started to chuckle.

Cavendish frowned, "How in the world do you think this is funny?"

"That was close." Dakota continued to chuckle. Not because it was funny, it was more of a nervous chuckle.

"Yes, we were almost there until this blasted piece of machinery malfunctioned! Come now Dakota! Time to go up seven flights of stairs! How fun! Can this day get any worse?!" Cavendish shouted while he left the broken elevator.

Dakota followed him, "You do know you're not supposed to say stuff like that or else the universe is gonna mess with you even more."

"You'd think that in the future, things like elevators would be indestructible."

"It's the future, not some sort of paradise where nothing breaks. And, technically, it's the present."

Cavendish scowled and stomped his way up the stairs. It probably took more energy to stomp his way up, but he didn't care. He wanted the world to know he's mad right now.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five...

"Cavvvv! Hold up!" Dakota panted. At this point, he wanted a quick break.

But Cavendish continued without him.

"CAVENDISH! AH!" Dakota forced himself to catch up.

Six.....

Seven......

Finally, they were on the seventh floor.

Dakota is practically hyperventilating now.

"Oh, the plumber is here," a random person approached them, "It's the last toilet in the men's room. If you need some tools, you can probably find them in the janitor closet right next to the bathrooms. What's with the suit? Mr. Block said you'd be in a suit but I don't see why a plumber would wear a suit." The person looked over at Dakota, "Is he okay?"

"He's fine..." Cavendish growled.

The guy gave them a confused look, "Okay... Why didn't you guys used the elevator?"

"It's broken."

As soon as Cavendish said that, the elevator opened up and some people got out of it as if it was a fully functional elevator.

"But... But... But... WHATEVER!" Cavendish grabbed his cleaning supplies and stormed towards the bathrooms.

"Hey! What about the suit? You didn't answer my question."

* * *

Dakota entered the men's bathroom, "There you are." He wasn't in a particularly happy mood right now.

"About time!" Cavendish scoffed. He already got the plunger and went to work.

"So, just one toilet?"

Cavendish flushed the toilet, "That's all I see." What he did, didn't fix it, so he got back to work.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Just stand there."

Dakota crossed his arms, "Fine..."

Cavendish flushed the toilet again, "Blast..." Cavendish gave it a couple more pumps, "Why. Won't. It. Just-!" There was a 'clang' noise before water sprayed back at Cavendish. Dirty toilet water. "AAAAAAAH!" He raised his arms to protect his face.

Dakota jumped back.

The water stopped.

"Gross..." Cavendish shuddered.

"Did you break it?" Dakota asked.

Cavendish carefully reached over to flushed the toilet. This time, it went down. "It's fixed."

"Nice, so how about ice cream?"

"Shower. Now. I need shower."

Dakota looked down at the puddle of water around the toilet. "Block would probably want us to clean that."

"You clean." Cavendish walked over to the sink to wash his hands and face.

Due to Cavendish's current state, Dakota didn't argue. He cleaned up the mess while Cavendish did the best to clean himself up.

BEEP BEEP.

Their communicator rang.

"Oh no...." Cavendish growled.

BEEP BEEP.

"NO!" Cavendish reluctantly answered their communicator with a super fake smile. "Hello?"

"Are you idiots done?" Block asked.

"Yes."

"Good. There's a mess on level negative five. Two rooms to your left. Got it?"

"But sir! We've been working all-"

"If you finish that sentence, you can consider yourself fired."

Cavendish forced his mouth shut.

"Good boy, now go do your job."

Cavendish nodded before Block hung up.

"What level did he say?" Dakota asked.

Cavendish sighed, "Level negative five."

"What?"

"Level negative five," he repeated.

"What floor is that? Negative five?"

Cavendish looked at him, "You've never been to level negative five?"

"Nooooooo? Have you?"

"The negative levels are the levels under the Bureau of Time Travel. You've never been there?"

"No?"

"Negative five is the tech division for B.O.T.T. I used to work there."

"Oh cool. But I don't remember seeing negative floors in the elevator."

"That's because they separate their agents and scientists. To get to the elevators, you have to take the back entrance of the building.

"Since when was there a super secret underground level?"

"It's not a secret Dakota." Cavendish grabbed their things, "Follow me."

"What do you mean it's not a secret? I never heard about it!"

"Don't be ridiculous Dakota, where do you think the Bureau of Time Travel gets their equipment?"

Dakota shrugged, "Well I guess I'm about to find out."

* * *

After putting their toilet cleaning supplies away, they left the building.

They both went behind the Bureau of Time Travel. Stepping through the set of doors unveiling a part of B.O.T.T that Dakota has never seen before. It still had a similar style to what the main entrance of the building looked like, except it's smaller and less flashy.

"Cavendish?" A voice quickly spoke up. It came from someone behind a counter.

"Peterson! It has been a long time, hasn't it? Nice to see you again!"

He smirked, "What brings you here?" He looks like a very generic character that isn't too important to the story.

"We're here to clean up a mess on floor five."

"Oooohh... Really? What happened?" Peterson asked.

"We weren't told."

"Okayyyy... Go right ahead."

"Thank you," Cavendish nodded.

Both Dakota and Cavendish continued, but Dakota was quickly stopped. "Hey! Orange guy! I'm gonna need some I.D."

"What?" Dakota asked, "Hey, he didn't show his I.D."

Peterson crossed his arms.

"Fine..." Dakota fumbled around in his jacket until he found his wallet. He took out his time travel licence and handed it to the guy.

Peterson glanced at it before handing it back, "Okay, you can go."

Now that they were both allowed to pass, Cavendish lead Dakota to the elevators. The elevators looked exactly like the ones he's familiar with, except there were fewer floors and the numbers went down instead of up.

Cavendish pressed the button for floor minus five.

"There's should be a janitor closet on the fifth floor, we can use the supplies there if necessary." The elevators opened up on the fifth floor. Seeing this floor again after such a long time gave Cavendish a nostalgic feeling.

"Where was it again?" Dakota asked.

"Two doors on the left." Cavendish leads the way. After opening the second door on the left, they quickly saw the 'mess'.

Both of them froze.

Cavendish was the first to speak up, "You have to be kidding me..."

The room is in complete disarray. Paper everywhere. Machines knocked over. It looked like a tornado tore through the room.

It seemed like nothing was untouched.

"Wow..." Dakota walked into the room. In the prosses, he had to step over a filing cabinet that has been knocked over. He looked back at his partner. Noticing Cavendish's reaction, he tried to lighten the mood, "Hey, at least it's not cleaning toilets."

"This is going to take all day! We're going to have to be here overnight again!" Cavendish covered his face with his hands.

"It's not that bad."

"We've already done our job for today! I'm tired! I want to go home and take a shower..."

Dakota bent over to lift the cabinet off of the ground, "I'd say... Max three hours."

"Correction, all night."

"Seriously Cav, it's not that bad. Just you and I alone... Cleaning this mess. The less you complain, the faster this can get done!"

Cavendish moped. He walked towards a stool that was knocked over and put it back up.

"That's the spirit!"

"Yes, I'll comply, though, that does not mean I have to smile while I do it."

"It's better than me cleaning up while you complain," Dakota grabbed a bunch of paper and attempt to organize it.

There wasn't much small talk. Both of them found little tasks to keep them busy. Since Cavendish has been in this room before, he had an idea of what it's supposed to look like. But for Dakota, he put things where he thought they were supposed to go. Sometimes he would 'fix' something only for Cavendish to go back to it and fix it himself.

Two hours went by. Every minute that would go by, Cavendish would become more and more eager to get this over with.

The last thing he wanted to do was to be here during the night shift.

"There's some broken glass here," Dakota finally broke the silence, "Better clean it up before it hurts someone, where was that janitor closet?"

Cavendish grumbled, "Continue down the hallway. It's a room with a 'janitor closet' plaque on it. There's no way you can miss it."

"Alright, be back in a jiffy!" Dakota winked before leaving.

As soon as Dakota left, Cavendish sighed. The room is still chaotic. Two hours of cleaning barely changed anything. The main difference is that now they can walk into the room without walking over things.

Cavendish lifted up a table back into place. He picked up some things, that he guessed, used to be on the table and put it back on the table.

He grabbed a measuring cup only to find the bottom of it soaked in a bright green liquid.

Chemical spill was the first thing he thought of. Moving the other things out of the way, he found a strange machine leaking the bright green liquid. It has a green flashing light and a lot of wires sticking out of it. Cavendish has never seen this device before so it must be new.

The green liquid had to be time juice. There was no doubt about that. Which means he shouldn't touch it without gloves.

Cavendish looked at the table. It is still clear. If he moves the device out of the way and onto the table, he could clean this mess up once he got a hold of some gloves.

He bends over and grabs onto the device. As soon as he touched it, it sent a powerful shock through his body. It was so powerful, Cavendish yelled and fell backwards.

Immediately, he clutched his chest. There's a stinging pain in his chest. That can't be good.

Dakota burst through the door, "CAVENDISH!" He ran to him and kneeled down next to him. "Are you okay?! What happened?!"

Cavendish opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but right after, he closed his eyes and went limp.

01010100 01101000 01100001 01101110 01101011 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01100100 01100101 01100011 01101111 01100100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110011 01100101 01100011 01110010 01100101 01110100 00100000 01101101 01100101 01110011 01110011 01100001 01100111 01100101 00101110 00100000 01010000 01101100 01100101 01100001 01110011 01100101 00100000 01100001 01100100 01100100 00100000 01100001 01101110 00100000 01001111 01110111 01001111 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100011 01101111 01101101 01101101 01100101 01101110 01110100 01110011 00100000 01100010 01100101 01101100 01101111 01110111

DdDd..dD...DIIIIINNNNGGG!

Cavendish snapped awake. Immediately he sat up and clutched his chest.

His alarm kept ringing.

Alarm...

Cavendish looked around. He's in his room. In his bed. In his pyjamas. His alarm clock is ringing.

He slowly reached over to stop the alarm.

He needed a moment to regather himself. Was that a dream? If so, it felt so real. If not, how did he get back home?

Cavendish left his bed and got dressed as if everything was normal. After stepping out of his room, he looked around his apartment to see if anyone else was there.

Nobody.

He's alone.

Then, he got an idea. He walked to his kitchen and checked his cabinet.

There's a bag with one last muffin in it.

The same muffin that, in his dream, he ate. If that wasn't a dream, that muffin shouldn't be there. He took it and made his way to his TV. Turning it on, the same news he saw before played on screen.

It was eery how similar his dream was to reality.

Though, it could be just a coincidence.

He'll have the muffin as his breakfast and before he knows it, he'll forget about that dream. 

Now it's time for work.

Thirty minutes later, he walked through the doors of B.O.T.T.

Right away, he saw the same people talking to each other.

Odd, but it was common to see those people talking to each other. Simply another coincidence.

Cavendish went into the elevator only to see Hildegard rushing his way. Without hesitation, he held the elevator for her.

She has her hands filled with stacks of paper, "Thanks! Floor eighteen please!"

Deja vu!

Cavendish carefully pressed the button for his floor and the eighteenth flood. This time, he made sure to keep his distance not to knock over the papers Hildegard is holding. He rubs his hands together and attempted to make small talk.

"How's first-class treating you?" He asked.

"Oh you know, stressful."

"Of course. If you want to talk about it, maybe we can chatter about it over some coffee?"

"Oof," Hildegard sighed, "Cavendish, I'm just way to busy. And you know..."

"As friends of course!" Cavendish lifted his hands up in defense. As he did that, Hildegard stepped back and lose her balance. Causing her to drop the stack of paper she was holding.

"No! Errrr!"

The elevator stopped at his floor.

"Just go!" Hildegard ordered.

Cavendish walked over the papers and out of the elevator without putting up a fight. The elevator doors closed behind him. He took a deep breath. How did he even mess up again? Well, not again, but he could have completely avoided what just happened if he wasn't such an anxiety-filled dork.

At this point, his dream seems to match reality to a concerning amount. Did someone mess with the time-stream? There isn't a way to know for sure without someone flat out confessing to messing with the time-stream.

One more test.

Cavendish made his way to the break room where Dakota is supposed to be. And when he got there, there Dakota is with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Hey," Dakota greeted.

Cavendish straightened his back, "Morning."

"We got a new mission," Dakota announced.

"Cleaning loos in the Renaissance?" Cavendish guessed.

Dakota smiled, "How did you guess?"

Cavendish paused for a moment. If his dream is coming true... That means today will be one of the worse days he had in a while. Maybe he can try to make it better? Enter this bad day with a positive attitude?

"I'm sure we can get it done in a jiffy," Cavendish said with a smile.

"Ha! Jiffy!" Dakota giggled.

"Come now Dakota, the sooner we get going, the sooner we can get this over with."

"Got it," Dakota took one last gulp of his coffee before tossing the cup in the trash.

* * *

Cavendish slowly peeled off his long yellow rubber gloves. It's the end of their mission and now they were packing up.

"You sure you're supposed to use those gloves? I mean, I don't think those were invented yet," Dakota pointed out.

Cavendish shrugged, "If I have to do this job, I shall do it my way."

Dakota grabbed a couple of cleaning supplies, "But I thought you were all about following the rules."

They had this conversation before. Soon Block is going to call them. Right after Dakota brings up ice cream. "I guess that means I'm a hooligan now."

"Oooooh! Bad boy!" Dakota shoved all their equipment into the back of their vehicle. "I think we deserve some ice cream!"

"Agreed." Cavendish started counting in his head.

One.

Two.

Three.

Communicator.

But, nothing.

Dakota got into the passenger seat. He started to sing a familiar tune, "We're going to go get ice cream! We're going to go get ice- Nah... That doesn't work... We're going to the ice crea- Nope."

Cavendish sat at the driver's seat. Even though Dakota was being his annoying self, Cavendish was more focused on why they didn't get that call-

BEEP BEEP.

Their communicator rang.

Oh yeah, they left slightly earlier than last time and they were leaving earlier than last time.

Cavendish took out his communicator. Block appeared on the screen, "You two done yet?"

"Yes," Cavendish replied.

"Great, get back to HQ! There's a clogged toilet on the seventh floor."

"Got it," Cavendish hung up before Block could say another word.

Dakota's smile went away, "Aw man... I really wanted ice cream. I sang the song and everything..."

Cavendish turned on the car and jumped into the time-stream. It didn't take long for them to get to B.O.T.T.

"I guess we can still get some ice cream when we're done."

Cavendish grunted. Since he knew what was coming, he already knew that wouldn't happen.

Both of them grabbed their cleaning supplies and made their way into the building.

Seeing the elevator, Cavendish got a flashback.

Elevator bad!

"Let's take the stairs," Cavendish suggested.

"What? Why?" Dakota confusingly asked.

"You can use the exercise."

Dakota frowned, "Ouch. But seriously, you want to drag all these cleaning supplies up seven floors?"

Cavendish watched as Brick and Savannah got into the elevator. "You know what, you're right.

"I am?"

"Hold the elevator!" Cavendish called out.

Immediately, Brick tapped on the button to close the elevator doors over and over again. Cavendish took his time to get to the elevator. Unfortunately for him, the doors closed before he got to it.

"Oh well, we'll catch the next one," Cavendish put his hands on his hips with a weird smile smeared on his face.

"Okay?..."

Cavendish and Dakota waited for the elevator to come back.

BANG!

The elevator opened with a 'ding' sound. Both Brick and Savannah were on the ground. Both startled.

"Oh! Thank you for coming back for us," Cavendish got into the elevator and pressed the button for the seventh floor.

"Wait! Um. The elevator kinda looks broken. Err-" Before the doors closed, Dakota quickly jumped in.

The elevator went to the seventh floor without a hitch.

At least he was able to avoid the elevator incident.

Before he got off, he pressed the button for the first-class floor since Brick and Savannah seemed to still be in shock.

They made their way to the men's bathroom where they found the last stall to be clogged. This time, Cavendish decided to tackle this task with a little less violence. But of course, the universe was not on his side. There was a 'clank' noise before water shot out of the toilet. Cavendish jumped back with an incredible amount of force that he slipped and banged his head on the side of the sink.

"CAVENDISH!"

Dazed, Cavendish sat up, "Ouch." He rubs the back of his head.

"Are you okay?"

The volcano of water coming from the toilet stopped. Cavendish stood up and groaned. He tried his best to avoid the watery mess on the grown as he gave one last flush.

"There, fixed."

"Um, okay..." Dakota rubbed his arm, "You can stand back, I'll clean up this mess."

Cavendish leaned against the sink while Dakota cleaned up the mess. Cavendish could feel his heart beating in his head as waves of pain reminded him of what just happened. Rubbing the back of his head didn't really help much. What he needed right now was to lay down and rest. But he knew that even when they finish this, their work for the day won't be over.

"There," Dakota took off his gloves. "Good as new. How about some ice cream?"

"I have a feeling Block has another mission for us," Cavendish mumbled.

"We already did enough toilet related things today. I want ice cream!"

Cavendish shrugged.

They put their supplies away and went down to the first floor. As they got close to their vehicle, Dakota kept chanting "Ice cream!"

Dakota went into their car and so did Cavendish. But, instead of starting the car, he left the door open and took out his communicator.

"Ummm. Ice cream? What are you doing?"

BEEP BEEP.

Their communicator ran.

Cavendish answered it.

"Are you idiots done?" Block asked.

"Yes."

"Good. There's a-"

"Mess on level negative five, two rooms to our left. Got it."

"What? How did you-?"

Cavendish hung up. "Told you." He pushed himself out of the car.

"What?" Dakota jumped out of the car to catch up with his partner, "What just happened?"

"We have another mission to do."

"Oookay?"

Cavendish walked to the back of B.O.T.T. "Take out your time travelling license."

Cavendish walking into the building, "Hey Peterson. We're here to clean up a mess." Cavendish took Dakota's wallet out of his hand, "Here's his license, he's with me." Cavendish handed his wallet back and grabbed Dakota's wrist to pull him with him.

"Okay, nice talk!" Peterson replied.

One elevator trip later, they were in the room they're supposed to clean.

"Wow..." Dakota walked into the room, stepping over a filing cabinet while he was at it. "Hey, at least it's not cleaning toilets."

"There's a janitor closet down the hall, go get a broom or something."

"I don't think a broom would be useful right now."

"Just go get it."

"Fine," Dakota stepped over the cabinet again then left the room.

Cavendish waited a bit before going straight to the strange device he saw earlier. After moving some things aside, he found the strange device with wires sticking out of it. He wasn't sure what to do now. This thing is what caused him to wake up from his dream.

Or... It was the thing that made him restart his day.

This time, he won't touch it.

Redoing this day is the last thing he wants to do. Today was better than the day before, but not by much.

Once Dakota came back, they started to clean the room. It took several hours for them to clean it up. They worked for a good part of the night. Cavendish used rubber gloves to move the strange device on to the table. Leaving it there for someone else to deal with it.

Cavendish and Dakota were exhausted. But... Dakota still wanted ice cream as a reward. Even though it's really late, they both got ice cream. The only 'ice cream' place they could find was a restaurant that had a 24-hour drive through. So they got ice cream and parked the car in the parking lot to enjoy it.

"Hey Cav... I know you're tired, but thanks for gettin' ice cream with me." Dakota smiled.

Cavendish glanced at him. Dakota looked happy. Really happy. "We worked hard today, we deserve ice cream."

"Even though we constantly get dragged in the mud and it seems like the universe hates us... At least we have each other. Am I right? So I guess the universe isn't that bad..."

"That's true..." Cavendish smiled as he looked at his ice cream. This definitely is the highlight of his day. A while ago, he would have preferred to go straight home instead of getting ice cream. But... It seems like spending so much time with Dakota has given him a bit of a sweet tooth. He knew it wasn't healthy to eat ice cream before bed. That was definitely something he would never do. And yet, here he is, eating ice cream, in their car, in the middle of the night.

"Thanks for being my friend..." Dakota mumbled.

"Vinnie... You don't have to thank me for that."

"Yeah, but I feel like I need to."

"Well then," Cavendish tipped his hat, "Thank you for being my friend as well."

Dakota's smile grew wider. "Aww... Cav..."

Cavendish reached over and gave him a side hug. Afterwards, he leaned back and tossed the last bit of his cone in his mouth. "It has been a very long day. I'd like to get some rest now."

"Okie dokie. I'm getting pretty tired too," Dakota looked down at his shoes, "Hey, do you wanna crash at my place?"

Cavendish thought about it for a moment, "Sure."

Dakota looked back at Cavendish, "Really? Cool."

They went back to Dakota's apartment. Cavendish ended up ingesting another unhealthy item. Hot chocolate. He said no at first but after Dakota made himself one, suddenly his body craved one. They watched a few episodes of Dr. Zone. Two episodes in, Cavendish could feel sleep slowly taking over his body...

DIIIIINNNNGGG!

Cavendish reached over to turn off his alarm clock. He sat up and yawned.

Bedroom.

He's in his bedroom.

That woke him up. Cavendish practically jumped out of bed and ran to the kitchen to check the cabinet.

Muffin.

One last muffin.

He turned around and ran to the TV. Turning it on, it played the same news report he has already seen twice.

"That's concerning..." Cavendish muttered.

He went to his room and got dressed. He was about to leave, but then he decided to go back and get the muffin. Breakfast is important. And, if it does magically reappear, he'll know that the day restarted.

He needed to get to the bottom of this. Maybe someone in the tech division would know how to solve this problem. Someone must know. There is no way he's going to repeat this day over and over again for the rest of eternity.

As he walked down the street, he crossed the railroad without looking both ways. And without paying attention to the warning holograms. He never really paid attention to it because the train would normally be long gone by the time he needs to cross it, but today he's early.

The train honked its horn right before hitting Cavendish.

DIIIIINNNNGGG!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Cavendish yelled. He breathes heavily as he checked his body.

Yup, he's still intact.

"Oooookay! Well then! Not going to do that again!"

He got up, dressed, muffin, then he left. This time, he stood back as he waited for the train to go by.

Once he got to B.O.T.T, he went to the back of the building.

He reached for the door to pull it open, but only one problem. It's locked. He's too early.

"Blast!" He almost forgot that the tech division doesn't open for another hour. "AAAAHHH!" He yelled, then pouted.

After waiting for a couple of minutes, he got impatient and went into the main B.O.T.T building.

Now, this was the time he'd usually get in, which means Hildegard.

After he got into the elevator, he saw Hildegard rushing his way. He  
stopped the elevator from closing.

Round three.

Hildegard got in with both of her hands filled with stacks of paper, "Thanks! Floor eighteen please!"

He pressed the button for her floor.

He glanced at her. This time, he didn't say anything. He didn't want to mess anything up this time. If he kept his distance and stayed quiet, then things might go right.

Right for her.

Not for him.

The elevator stopped at his floor, then he got off.

This time she didn't drop her papers. This time he didn't embarrass himself in front of her. But they didn't even talk. Not even small talk. It seemed like her life would be better without him messing things up.

He sighed before making his way to the break room.

"Hey," Dakota greeted with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Vinnie this happened twice..." Cavendish muttered.

"What?"

"I'm reliving the same day over and over again."

Dakota took a small sip of his coffee, "Okay? Like that one movie?"

"Yes."

"So does that mean you need to fall in love to break the curse?"

"What? No!" Cavendish shouted, "I was electrocuted by some sort of strange device in the tech division! After that, I woke up in my bed! Then, after going through this miserable day, again, I woke up in my bed, again!"

"I think that's how it normally works. You go to bed, you wake up in bed."

"I slept at your place and woke up at my place!

Dakota looked at him, "Wait, why did you sleep at my place?"

"Because! It was late! And you were the one who suggested it!" Cavendish tried to defend himself, "Nevermind that! Afterwards, I got hit by a train and woke up in my bed again!"

Dakota took one last sip of his coffee, "Okay, I believe you."

"Really?"

"Yup," he threw away his cup, "You said something about a techno something."

"Tech division."

"What about it?" Dakota asked.

"The doors are locked, it won't be open for a bit."

Dakota lighten up, "OH OH! Since you already did this, what am I going to say?"

"I don't know!"

"But you said you already did this before."

"Yes, but now I changed everything by telling you about it!"

"Wait, Block gave us a mission."

"Nevermind that!"

"Um... He'd probably get mad at us if we don't-"

"Follow me!" Cavendish interrupted. He turned around and went towards the direction of the elevators.

"But- Cav- Ahhhh whatever..." Dakota followed him.

* * *

"So, in here is the tech division?" Dakota asked. He looked through the windows of the building.

Now they were waiting at the entrance of the tech division. At least Dakota is waiting. Cavendish couldn't stop himself from pacing back and forth in front of the entrance. "Yes."

Someone approached the door, "Cavendish?"

Cavendish stopped pacing, he turned around only to see an old friend. "Wilson?"

"Hey! Nice to see you bro!" He gave Cavendish a big hug. Crushing him in the prosses. Wilson wore a blue shirt with a lab coat. It is clear that he's definitely taller than Cavendish. And bulkier. And covered in black hair. Also, he's a llama.

"Errr, yes..."

Wilson let him go.

"Unfortunately, it's under critical circumstances," Cavendish adjusted his suit.

"Whaz up?"

"First, could you allow us into the building?"

"Mmmmmkay," Wilson pressed his hoof against a scanner. The door clicked.

Cavendish quickly opened the door, allowing both Dakota and Wilson into the building. "I've been electrocuted by some sort of device and now I'm apparently reliving the same day over and over again," Cavendish explained.

"OOOOOooo! Fun! You can, like, do whatever you want without any consequences!" Wilson cheered.

"No! Not fun!"

"Soooo..." Dakota spoke up, "How do you two know each other?"

"Um duh! We went to university together!" Wilson explained, "He used to be such a dooooooooooork!"

"Oh please, he's still a dork," Dakota chuckled.

Wilson burst out laughing.

"Yes, yes, yes, could we please get this over with?" Cavendish pleaded. All three of them got into the elevator. Cavendish pressed the button for floor negative five.

"Who are you little buddy?" Wilson asked.

"The name's Vinnie, Vinnie Dakota."

"Nice ta meet ya," he raised his hoof up.

Dakota wasn't really sure what to do so he gave him a fistbump.

"See! He gets me! When Cavy and I met, I did the same thing and he shook my hoof! Hello? This is obviously a fistbump," Wilson clanked his hoofs together.

"Well, how am I suppose to know?! You don't have any fingers! Any normal person could have interpreted that as a handshake!" Cavendish frowned. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he stormed out of it. He forgot how irritating Wilson is. There was a reason why when he left the tech division, they didn't keep in contact.

Two doors to the left revealed a clean, well kept, room.

Cavendish started to snoop the room. Looking for the strange device that started this whole mess.

"Woah, I've never been here before. I didn't even know this place existed," Dakota commented.

"Yes, I know, you've mentioned that twice before," On a table, there lies the device that electrocuted him, "There! Wilson, what is this device?"

Wilson looked at the device, "Oh, that. It turns grapes into raisins."

Cavendish's mouth fell open, "Pardon me?"

"You are pardon," Wilson bowed his head.

Anger started to boil within him, "Did you just say that this machine turns grapes into raisins?!"

"Yup."

"Why in the world would this tech division even create such a pointless device!"

"It makes raisins instantly, you just need to put some grapes in it," Wilson explained.

Cavendish raised his hands up, "Why?"

"Block wanted it for some reason," Wilson shrugged, "So we made it."

"That's impossible!"

"Have you met Block?"

Cavendish ignored him, "This device started this time-loop!

"What are you even talking about man? Time-loops don't even exist. I mean infinite loops do, but not like what you're talking about."

"Mmmmh!" Cavendish grumbled, "Are you sure this machinery is only built to dry grapes?"

"Yup, watch," Wilson walked over to the minifridge. Taking a grape out of it, he used it to show Cavendish how the device works. After putting it in the machine, it came out as a raisin.

"But... But... But..." Cavendish muttered, "You believe me, right Dakota?"

"Yup," Dakota answered without hesitation.

"Fine!" Cavendish stormed towards the door. Before he left, he turned around, "Something is going to cause some sort of disaster in here which Dakota and I will be assigned to clean up. Could that not happen?"

Wilson tapped his hoof on his chin, "The only way that would happen is if someone accidentally presses the button on the mess-inator in the corner over there," he pointed at some sort of raygun.

Cavendish glared at it, "Why is that there?"

"I dunno, it was one of Professor Time's inventions. we didn't know where to put it so we put it there."

"Get rid of it! Or at least disarm it!" Cavendish yelled.

"Sheesh, no need to shout..." Wilson mumbled.

Cavendish turned around and stormed out of the room.

* * *

"Maybe it was only a two-day thing?" Dakota suggesting.

"If that was true, it would mean that it was a three-day thing," Cavendish corrected him.

They were back in the Renaissance. They decided to go do their job. Just in case this problem fixes itself. They didn't need Block to be angry at them for not doing their job.

BEEP BEEP.

Their communicator rang.

Cavendish answered it. Mr. Block appeared on screen, "You two done yet?"

"No," Cavendish answered.

"What's taking you two idiots so long?!" Block shouted.

"Oh I don't know, cleaning toilets take a while! Not that you would know!"

Block frowned, "Work faster then!" And with that, Block hung up.

Cavendish looked at the blank screen, "That's strange. He's supposed to give us a new mission."

"A new mission?" Dakota asked.

"Don't get your hopes up, it was another toilet-related mission."

"Oh..." Dakota sighed, "Maybe since we're not done, he'll get someone else to do it."

"Perhaps..."

Dakota started scrubbing the toilet, "So, you got electrocuted by a grape drier and that's when it all started."

"I didn't know it was a grape drier at the time! Maybe there was a malfunction which caused this."

"And how do we fix it?"

Cavendish shook his head, "I don't know! By the end of the day, you won't even remember this!"

"Then you can tell me all about it again. Like, didn't you say you crashed at my place the other day? What happened?"

Cavendish cleared his throat, "We finished quite late. We got some ice cream and ate it in the car, then we went over to your place and watched a couple of Dr. Zone episodes with hot chocolate. After that, I fell asleep."

"Awww, that sounds like fun."

Cavendish smiled, "It was."

"Hey! Since there's no tomorrow, we can binge eat!"

Cavendish glared, "That's what you like to do."

"But have you ever done it before?"

"Noooooo..."

"Then..." Dakota tossed his brush, "Let's go!" He began to walk towards their vehicle.

"Dakota! We can't leave, we're not done!"

"So? There's no tomorrow!"

Cavendish looked at their cleaning supplies. Leaving them there could contaminate the past. What if things went back to normal by the end of the- Cavendish frowned. He ran to catch up with his partner, "Okay! Yes! Let's be delinquents!"

"How did you just make ditching work sound so dorky?"

"That did not sound dorky!"

"It totally did!"

Cavendish pouted.

* * *

Binging... That's definitely something Cavendish has never done before. And of course, he's terrible at it. It was almost fascinating how much food Dakota can get in his body. Fascinating and disgusting. But Cavendish did get sucked into the stupid excitement.

"ONE MORE ONE MORE! YOU'RE ALMOST DONE!" Dakota shouted.

Cavendish looked down at the last corndog on his plate. He somehow managed to get down four. And four seemed to be his limit. But Dakota's stupid peer pressuring convince him to at least try to get the last one down. He grabbed it and took a big bite out of it.

"WOOHOO!" Dakota jumped out of his seat, "CAVENDISH! CAVENDISH! CAVENDISH!"

Cavendish forced it down. After he swallowed the last bit of it, he could feel it coming back up again. Luckily for him, another swallow helped keep it down. "Oh dear..." He mumbled as he rubbed his stomach.

"Here's a tip for next time," Dakota sat down, "The faster you eat, the more you can get down. Because it takes about twenty minutes for your brain to tell you that you're full. So by eating faster, you can trick your brain into eating more."

"That's one of the most terrible tips I've heard in a long time."

"It's true," Dakota tossed a fry in his mouth.

"It may be, though, normal people don't make it an achievement to overeat."

"Unless they're in an eating competition. I won a pie eating contest at my school."

Cavendish had to ask, "How many?"

"Twenty-two slices of blueberry pie in ten minutes. I didn't break a world record, but I ate five more slices than anyone else there! Then after the competition, I ended up spewing it all over the hallway floor. Still got to keep the trophy because you only get disqualified if you spew during the competition or seconds after."

"You're disgusting."

"I know. The human body is a disgusting thing."

Cavendish grumbled. He couldn't take it anymore. His vest felt like he's wearing a wasp waist. Even though it was slightly embarrassing, he unbuttoned his vest. As soon as he got the last button undone, he sighed in relief. Right now, he did not look sophisticated.

Dakota ate the last fry, "What do you want to do now?"

"Wallow in mystery until I feel better?"

Dakota stretched, "Sounds like a plan to me! What do you say? Dr. Zone and hot chocolate at my place?"

Cavendish raised his hand, "I'll pass on the hot chocolate."

"More hot chocolate for me then!"

"How do you still want to put things in your body? What is wrong with you?"

Dakota chuckled.

* * *

Hours of Dr. Zone later, and some he's already seen before, the end of the day drew near. Dakota has already fallen asleep on the couch next to him. Cavendish has been feeling tired for a while now, but he didn't want to fall asleep. This was nice. He didn't want all of this to get undone. If he had it his way, he'd wake up the next day on this couch. But of course-

DIIIIINNNNGGG!

"Drat..."

In the morning, he woke up in his bed. Like he did three other times. The only positive thing about this is that he didn't have to deal with the consequences of bloating himself the other day.

Work is the last thing he wants to do right now. It's not like he was getting paid to do the same work over and over again.

He practically threw on his suit before calling Dakota.

Ring ring.

Ring ring.

Dakota answered the phone, "Cav?" He yawned, "What's up?"

"Let's not go to work today."

It took a moment for Dakota to respond to that, "What did you do to the real Cavendish?"

"I'm being serious. Let's go to the zoo, Slushy Burger, perhaps roller skating. Let's have fun today!"

"What did you do to the real Cavendish?" Dakota repeated.

Cavendish frowned, "The real Cavendish can be spontaneous!"

Dakota paused again, "Prove it."

And with that, they met up and began a spontaneous day. Dakota was concern about the sudden 'let's skip work' but he quickly got into it. Every exhibit at the zoo and a big meal at Slushy Burger. After that, they went roller skating, which resulted in bruised knees. More food. Then a long walk next to the beach as the day came to a close. During the whole day, they ignored any calls from Block.

They sat at the docks together, watching the sunset.

"Okay, I have to ask. What happened this morning? Why did you suddenly wanted to skip work? We're already on thin ice with Block. We're probably going to get fire..."

"I realized I'd rather spend the day with you than to go to work. Is that a crime?"

Dakota smiled and rubbed the back of his head, "I guess not..." He muttered.

Cavendish sighed, "This is nice."

"Yeah," Dakota agreed.

Cavendish wasn't looking forward for when the day came to an end.

As soon as the sun was out of sight, it began to get cold.

"It's probably time to head home," Cavendish sighed.

"Mmhm," Dakota nodded. They both stood up, "But we should go to work tomorrow."

Cavendish snickered, "You're right, though, that doesn't mean we can't have a sleepover."

"Sleepover?" Dakota repeated.

"Yes, your place?" Cavendish cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah... Yeah! That's- Yeah!" Dakota smiled broadly.

Practically a repeat of what happened the other day happened again. Except, Cavendish had hot chocolate and some biscuits. He ate way more biscuits than he should have.

Cavendish tried his best to stay awake as long as he could. But the couch and the comfy blanket lulled him to sleep.

DIIIIINNNNGGG!

Cavendish reached out to grab his alarm clock, then he threw it against the wall.

What did he do to deserve this? Why him? The day before was perfect.

What can he do to stop this? It was weird knowing things about Dakota that technically he never told him.

This all started because he was electrocuted. If he were to get electrocuted again, would that fix it?

DIIIIINNNNGGG!

Nope.

Ouch.

That didn't work.

Cavendish smashed his alarm clock over and over again.

Ouch.

Now his hand hurts.

Cavendish got dressed and headed straight to the bathroom to rinse his hand. That was stupid. He shouldn't have hit his alarm clock.

As the cold water washed over his hand, he tried to think of any other possible solutions for his problem. Everything he tried to do didn't work. Was there some sort of lesson he's supposed to learn? He didn't believe in curses.

There had to be a scientific reason for this. Which means he'll have to pull out his old time travelling textbooks from when he used to study time travel.

He made sure to message Dakota before he went into research mode. He wanted to avoid any distractions. If he would ignore him, Dakota would probably get worried to the point that he'll check on him. If he told him he's sick, he was sure it would only take ten minutes for him to show up at his door. So he told him he wanted to take a day off and be alone. Hopefully, Dakota would respect his wishes.

Then, he went to dig out some boxes filled with the textbooks he overpaid for. He tossed a couple of them on his coffee table and got ready to spend the day decoding what's going on.

The closest thing he could find to what's happening are infinite loops.

Peach.

That reminds him of the perplexing peach incident. It did vex him to the core not knowing where that peach came from. It must have come from a different timeline. A timeline that happened before they came along. They just happened to accidentally create an infinite loop.

But that's not what's happening. No one else seems to be aware that the day is repeating. Only him.

Whatever seems to be going on, it's something new. Something that has never been documented before.

Hours of going through old textbooks and B.O.T.T history brought up nothing. He wasted a whole day isolating himself for no reason.

At this point, he's at the brink of giving up.

With a yawn, he stumbled towards his room. He collapsed on his bed and let his fate overcome him.

DIIIIINNNNGGG!

Cavendish slowly reached over to turn off his alarm. He rolled onto his back and glared at the ceiling.

When he sighed, something different happened. A puff of water vapour came from his mouth. He quickly sat up.

Different.

Something was different.

Different is good.

When he got out of his blanket, a wave of chills went through him. The sudden drop in temperature did seem concerning but Cavendish couldn't help but smile.

Finally, the loop ended!

The heating system is probably busted in his apartment. But things were different!

Cavendish pushed himself out of bed. He put on his suit and went to the living room. His heart dropped when he saw that his textbooks didn't surround the couch.

He cautiously approached his kitchen. He closed his eyes as he opened the cabinet. Slowly opening his eyes, he the one last muffin in a bag.

The day repeated, but it wasn't the same. He could have sworn that all the other times he repeated the day, it was never this cold.

Why was his apartment so cold?

He took the muffin and tossed it in the garbage.

Looking out of the window, it's snowing. Surely, someone would notice something is different. Perhaps Dakota would bring up the strange weather change.

Cavendish went through his closet to take out winter boots and a coat. When he left his apartment, everyone outside is wearing regular clothes even though it's snowing. That did make Cavendish self-conscious because he got a feeling that he was imagining the snow. If that was the case, why did he feel so cold?

Walking through the snow only made him even more discouraging. If everyone around him is pretending there's no snow, maybe Dakota would think he's going crazy.

Maybe he is going crazy.

Is this what's like to go crazy?

Cavendish took a couple of more steps before falling to his knees. He rubs his arms to try to warm himself up a bit. It seemed like it's only getting colder and colder. He scooted over to the nearest building to lean against it. The cold air made it really hard to breathe.

With every breath he took, a wave of pain would fill his lungs.

DIIIIINNNNGGG!

Cavendish's eyes shot open. His room is still freezing. It even colder than before. Frost covered the walls and furniture. The only bit of comfort he got was from his bed. At least it's warm.

Maybe he could stay there.

It wasn't like there was a reason to get up. There's no point. May as well stay in bed.

Accepting his fate, he slowly closed his eyes.

Then, suddenly he opened them up again.

His phone.

Dakota.

He reached over to grab his phone. Turning it on, he called Dakota.

Ring ring.

"Cavendish?" Dakota answered.

"Vinnie? I'm not sure what's going on. I need help."

"It's fine, everything is fine. just hang in there."

"It's... It's not fine. I'm cold..."

"Just hang in there," Dakota repeated.

Cavendish frowned.

Beeeeeep...

Cavendish looked at his phone. The call ended. Right after he tapped on the screen to call again, his phone died. Leaving it on a permenet black screen. Cavendish tossed his phone aside in frustration. 

He swung himself out of bed.

Cold.

It's as if the floor is made of ice.

He put on his suit as fast as he could before charging towards his closet. He put on snow pants, jacket, a fluffy winter coat, thick winter gloves, and he even went back to his room to put on a couple of extra socks on before putting on his winter boots.

Bursting out of his apartment building, again, everyone looked normal. Except for him. But no one seemed to notice or care. Not a single strange look came his way.

He marched at an okay pace.

As he got closer to B.O.T.T. the snow started to get higher. That slowed him down but since he left early, he managed to get there when he normally does.

He passed the same people he's passed before. When he got into the elevator, he pressed the button for his floor. Seeing Hildegard coming his way, he didn't stop the elevator doors from closing. She'll just have to take the next ride.

As soon as he got to his floor, the room became drastically warmer. To the point that he had to slide off the hood of his very furry winter coat.

He charged to the break room, "Dakota?"

He wasn't there. That doesn't make sense. He's supposed to be here.

He looked all around the room but there is no sign of his partner. "Dakota?" Cavendish repeated.

"Cav?"

Cavendish snapped awake and sat up.

"Cavendish!" Dakota yelled. Without skipping a beat, Dakota jumped out of his seat and wrapped his arms around his partner.

"Dakota?" He looked around the room. Small room. Blue Curtains. Bright lights. Heart monitor. That's when he realized that now he's on a bed in what looked like B.O.T.T's emergency hospital room. "What... Happened?"

"You... Umm... You got zapped big time," Dakota explained.

"Zapped?"

"Yup. You got zapped by some sort of broken machine while we were donin' some cleaning," Dakota's smile dropped, "You had a heart attack."

"Oh." He placed his hand on his chest. Above his heart. He never had a heart attack before.

"Yup... The doc said you'd make it cause we were so close to the medical stuff, but I was still worried," Dakota explained, "You were out for the rest of the day... But hey! While I was out to get some food..." Dakota walked over to the counter and grabbed a teddy bear. "I know, stupid. But I thought that maybe it would make you feel better," he handed the pale brown teddy bear to his partner.

As soon as he got it, Cavendish held the stuffed critter close, "Thank you."

"And! Block was nice enough to give us the rest of the week off!"

"He gave me six days to recover from a heart attack?"

"Pretty much."

"Crimany..." Cavendish rolled his eyes.

"Yup..." Dakota rubbed the back of his head, "What's it like? To uhhh... You know?"

"Hm?"

"Die? The doctor said that your heart stopped for a bit."

Cavendish thought about his whole experience. The only time it didn't seem that bad, was when he spent time with Dakota, "Confusing."

Dakota waited for him to say more, but he didn't, "Woah... That's super vague." Dakota seemed completely unsatisfied with that answer.

"What am I supposed to say? Everything I experience was just a hallucination as my brain struggled to obtain oxygen."

"You're boring."

"You're annoying."

"Oh alright then, give me that back," Dakota grabbed the teddy bear out of his arms.

"You can't revoke a gift! Give Dennis back!" Cavendish reached out to try to get the stuffed critter back.

"D... Dennis? You already named it?" Dakota asked in disbelief, "Okay..." He handed Dennis back to Cavendish. He sat down on the end of the hospital bed, "Now that you're awake, what do you want to do?"

Cavendish tried to think of something. That's when he realized he hasn't eaten anything since yesterday. "I would like to eat five corndogs."

"Woah! Five? Are you sure that heart attack didn't give you brain damage? You can still count, right?"

"Are you insulting me? I've changed my mind, I'd like six corndogs. Then Dr. Zone and hot chocolate at your place."

"If we do that, you'll be sick! There's a skill involved when binge eating. Only professionals like me can do it."

Cavendish couldn't help himself but to test something out, "I know, didn't you win a pie eating competition at your school?"

"Yes! Yes I did! Still got the plastic trophy to prove it!"

"Twenty-two slices of pie... Impressive. Gross, but impressive."

"Yup! Then I threw up all over the hallway floor. Ha! I'm pretty sure that janitor still hates me to this day. Heh, heh... Anyways, if you want six corndogs, your wish is my command. But the doc says you're supposed ta be here for another three days. I can fetch some corndogs, hot chocolate, a holo TV, and we can binge while watching Dr. Zone!"

"That sounds perfect."

"Great! Now I know you just woke up and I'm already leaving, but I know you, you'd like to have some time alone, right?"

Cavendish nodded his head.

"And besides, you're not alone, you got Dennis!"

Cavendish chuckled.

"Okay, I'll be back in a jiffy, so don't throw a party while I'm gone."

It really didn't take that long until Dakota came back with food, hot chocolate, and Dr. Zone. It took so little time, Cavendish had some suspicions that Dakota used time travel to shorten his trip. He gave him the six corndogs that he requested. Taking Dakota's advice about eating faster, he almost choked... But he ate all six corndogs. New record. Probably a record he wouldn't be too keen on breaking. Dakota made him a stupid first place ribbon out of paper.

Part of him did feel cautious when it was time to go to sleep. The thought of waking up in his bed again haunted his mind.

But this time he woke up in the same hospital room with Dakota waving around virtual reality headsets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I did a good job drawing Hildegard. She looks exactly like she does in the show!


	52. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With both Cavendish's and Dakota's life on the line, may as well make a confess before dying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Ship stuff.

Life hanging on a balance.

There they were, both of them. Cavendish and Dakota. Wrists cuffed. Acid below.

How did they get there? They followed Brick and Savannah hoping to sabotage their pistachio mission, but there was only one problem. It was not a pistachio related mission.

They got captured. And now they were hanging above a vat of acid. Being slowly lowered towards their doom.

Both of them.

This is different.

Dakota looked down at the acid right below him. This time, both of their lives are on the line. Looking at Cavendish, he was obviously terrified. He's always terrified when he knows he's going to die.

Dakota looked back at the acid below. Was he scared? No. As soon as he realized that there's no easy way out, he kind of accepted this fate. To him, the only bad thing about this situation was that Cavendish is with him.

The acid looks almost hypnotic. He didn't know what it was like to die, but he's pretty sure this wasn't going to be fun.

As more time goes by, this situation became more hopeless. Dakota looked back at his partner. If he could, he'd do anything at that moment to save him. Like he always does. But he can't...

"Hey Cav?..." Dakota softly spoke up.

Cavendish looked back at him.

Why did he call his name? He didn't even have anything to say. It was like he subconsciously wanted Cavendish to think of something else other than them dying. Dakota looked down. This looks like the end. They were going to die. If they were going to die... He needed some sort of closure. "Since we're going to die soon..." Suddenly he got a sinking feeling. His gut demanded that he keeps his stupid mouth shut. But his brain reminded him that they were going to die anyways, so who cares? "There's something I've been meaning to tell you..."

Cavendish's eyes widen.

"I... I..." Dakota wanted to say it, but the words wouldn't come. Why did he even need to tell him? They were going to die anyways. Oh yeah, because if they were going to die, he needed to know if there's even a slight chance that Cavendish felt the same way. If he wasn't such a dope, maybe they could've been happy together. With that last thought, he spits it out, "I love you!"

Cavendish froze. Love? He instinctively looked away. He gulped nervously before looking back at Dakota. He's waiting for a response. He felt as if he needed to say something. Dakota wanted him to say something. But he had no idea what to say. Maybe Dakota was joking? Why would he be making jokes a time like this? Cavendish smiled anxiously, "Thank you for making the last moments of my life socially awkward."

Dakota frowned, "Seriously?!"

That confirmed that Dakota was, indeed, not joking. "How am I supposed to respond to that Vinnie?!"

"Oh I don't know! At least say that you love me too? We're gonna die anyways!" Dakota felt hurt. In these situations, at least in movies, people confess their feelings for each other and they're all happy and stuff. This was not the case.

"I need time to prosses this new information!" Cavendish spat out. It was true. He needed time to think about this.

"What?!" Dakota shouted in surprise, "WE ARE ABOUT TO DIE! TIME IS SOMETHING WE DO NOT HAVE RIGHT NOW!"

"STOP SHOUTING! CRIMINY!"

"I THOUGHT YOU AT LEAST CARED ABOUT ME!"

Suddenly, Cavendish realized something, "OH! You mean platonically!"

"Pl... Platonically?" Dakota paused. He didn't even think before he spoke again, "NO!"

He gave Dakota an 'out', but he didn't take it. Now this was definitely awkward. Cavendish looked away again. It's as if his brain was telling him that if he looks away, the problem will go away.

Dakota waited for a moment, "Well?!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY!" Cavendish managed to slip one of his hands out of the cuff, "You're my co-worker!"

"You're younger than me!'

'WE'RE GUYS!" He waved his, now free, hand around to add emphasis to what he was saying.

Dakota watched this. Cavendish's hand is now free! "Cav! You're hand!"

"I mean, are you out of your mind?!" Cavendish continued.

"You're hand! CAVENDISH! YOU'RE HAND!"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! HAND?! H-hand..." Cavendish looked at his hand.

"Oh... Whoops." Cavendish slipped his hand back into the cuff. "Anywho, DAKOTA!"

"WHAT! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"

"DO WHAT?"

"PUT YOU HAND BACK INTO THE CUFF!"

"OH I DON'T KNOW! MAYBE I DON'T PARTICULARLY WANT TO FALL TO MY DEATH!"

Dakota looked down. The acid is now really close, and it's getting closer. "Oh yeah... Okay, okay, wait..." He took a deep breath, "Can you get out of those cuffs? Both hands?"

"Yes?"

"Okay, do that."

Cavendish looked up at his hands. He can get out of them, but they were holding him there. Even though he didn't want to, he slipped one hand out, then used it to grab onto the metal bar holding the cuffs. He slipped the other hand out. Now the only thing stopping him from falling into the acid is his own grip.

"Okay, good. Maybe if you start to swing, then maybe you can jump to the edge? Climb up, turn this machine off and save me?"

Cavendish glanced at the edge of the vat, it was starting to get high. This plan is risky, but it's not like they had any other choice. "Okay." Cavendish started swinging his legs to propel himself towards the edge. It was still far away but they were running out of time. With one last swing, he let go of the bar and jumped to the edge. His stomach hit the edge of the vat pretty hard. Hard enough to knock the air out of him. He tried to grab on to something but he couldn't. He slipped down but right before falling into the acid, he gripped onto the very edge of the vat.

"AH! NO! CAV! B-be careful!"

It took all of his strength to pull himself out of the vat. Once he was out, he was mentally and physically exhausted, but there was no time to rest. He got up and ran to the controls. Remembering how the person switched the switches to put them there in that situation, to begin with, it didn't take him long to figure out what he had to do. He switched a lever which caused Dakota to start going up instead of down.

"YES!" Dakota cheered.

Cavendish slowly lifted him up before closing the vat and uncuffing him.

Dakota fell onto the now sealed vat. He got up and ran towards his partner, "That was awesome! That was like, something a first-class agent would do!"

Cavendish smiled, "I can't take all the credit, you were the one who came up with the idea."

"Since when can you get out of cuffs?! Or was yours not that tight?"

"Oh, I learned how to get out of cuffs when I attended high school."

"OH! NO WAY! Were you a bad boy? Slipping out of cuffs and running away from the cops?" Dakota teased.

"I... I... I thought learning magic would impress girls..." Cavendish shook his head in shame.

"Oh no! You were a magician!" Dakota burst out laughing, "Of course!"

"I was not! I only learned a few tricks..."

"You're such a dork!"

"Shut your mouth!"  
  
Dakota kept laughing. It was contagious.

Soon a smile crept onto Cavendish's face and he started laughing too. "I know I know... I was such a dork..."

"Was? You're still a dork!"

They laughed for a bit before calming down. The whole situation started to sink in. Both of them seemed to realize this at the same time.

"A..About what happened back there..." Dakota tried to think of a good excuse.

"Heat of the moment?"

"Huh?"

Cavendish smiled awkwardly, "We were in a critical situation. Our lives were on the line. I understand if things that were said could have been exaggerated."

Sadness went through him. Cavendish's giving him another 'out'. He's giving him another way to retake his words. Obviously, this was a nonverbal rejection. "Yeah..."

Dakota continued, "I have a bad habit of doing that, heh heh... Like, my last partner, once we were tied up and stuff and something like this happened! Yup, things were awkward after that." That was a lie, but that's not important.

"Yes, heat of the moment...."

Savannah kicked the door open, "Oh good, you two aren't dead."

Both Cavendish and Dakota forced an innocent smile.

"Get over here!" Savannah demanded

They did as they were told with their heads low.

"You two are in big trouble! You could've gotten yourselves killed! I swear, you're not even on thin ice with Block anymore. You're in ice cold water!"

"Sorry Savannah, we thought-" Cavendish started.

"OH YOU 'THOUGHT'." Savannah interrupted and focused all her anger on Cavendish, "Maybe for ones in your life, instead of thinking about doing something stupid, just don't. It is so easy to do nothing!"

"Hey!" Dakota moved in front of Cavendish, "Okay, we get it. We did something stupid but we're okay."

"Yeah," Savannah scoffed, "You two are really lucky... Yo Brick! I found them!" she shouted through the door. She grabbed onto Dakota's jackets to drag him out of the room with her.

"Ow, hey!" Dakota complained.

Right before leaving, Cavendish took one last look at the vat of acid behind them. It's been a long time since he felt so many different conflicting emotions in such a short amount of time.


	53. Existential Crisis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the middle of a pistachion second invasion, Cavendish sits back to recollect his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are moving on to Season 2 everyone! If you guys aren't caught up by now... SHAME! SHAME ON YOU! So yeah, some spoilers ahead.

Cavendish pushed the ferns out of his way.

Walking out of the dense jungle, he finally made it to the beach. He took a deep breath before finding a nearby boulder to sit on and stare at the water.

The only sound seemed to be the waves coming from the ocean in front of him.

This is the quietest it has been for a while.

He needed some alone time.

So far, the pistachions are back, they met Professor Time, and apparently, he dies. A lot. And because he dies a lot, there's now an island filled with several versions of his partner running around.

Several Dakotas who all want his attention.

He needed to be alone. Having so many people constantly looking at him stressed him out.

And looking at all the different Dakota's reminded him how big this situation has become.

Cavendish sighed.

This is a lot to take it.

Him dying.

Dakota breaking all the rules to save him.

He felt as if he should feel more upset about his own mortality. But he doesn't. In all honesty, he wasn't that surprised. Being constantly yelled at by his boss, having no family, feeling unfulfilled. He stopped caring about his own safety a long time ago.

He did think about what would happen if he was gone.

He came to the conclusion that he had to save the world. Maybe then he wouldn't be forgotten. Dying is one thing. Being forgotten would be as if he never existed at all.

What he couldn't comprehend is that Dakota would save him every time and keep it a big secret.

That's what's worrying him more than his own inevitable fate. It feels like he never knew the real Dakota. If he kept this a secret, what else is he hiding?

Not only that, any hopes of Cavendish being a first-class agent is now gone. Done. This island will end his career.

It took him twenty years to be a time traveller.

The right thing to do is to report this after everything is done and over with.

But if it was the right thing to do, why did it feel so wrong? Dakota broke all the rules when he suddenly decided to play god. Dakota could have caused...

...

In all reality, Cavendish wasn't sure why it is illegal to go back in time to save someone's life. You can't save your partner, family member, or friend. If someone passes, it's seen as an act of god. It's meant to be. You can't save them.

He isn't knowledgeable enough to know the consequences of this.

Follow up note, what are the long-term effects of dying over and over again? Where there long-term consequences? Has he experienced any long-term effects?

Dreams... He had noticed that he's been having more dreams of him dying. Though, he didn't put much thought into it. Some people believe that dreams have an alternate meaning, but not him. Other than that, he hasn't noticed anything.

"Mmmhm," Cavendish leaned towards the water. Looking at his reflection, he didn't see a person that was worth saving.

He could tell Block he had no clue that this has been happening and he didn't ask Dakota to save him. Dakota saved him without consent. But that could result in him getting off with maybe a warning or fired while Dakota would most likely spend the rest of his life in time prison.

Dakota did break the rules with good intention. He doesn't deserve to spend the rest of his life in prison because of him.

Eventually Block will find out about this. He'll have no other choice than to take half of the blame. After all, he's still here because of Dakota. And if Block doesn't know how big this has become, his best bet is if this goes to court. They can try to get a miscarriage of justice. Get a lighter sentence even though the crime that has been committed is extraordinary. As of right now, they have no evidence to use against them. They could try to control the situation.

Not only that, they could use the Good Samaritan Law against B.O.T.T.

However, this topic seems to be so taboo that B.O.T.T will not take it to public court. Most likely, they would take it to the Supreme Tribunal. If that happens, they're doomed. Whatever happens to them afterwards would be covered up. No jury, no public opinion. The only good that can come from this is that they make fast convictions. Which could result in them getting a lighter sentence since everything would be rushed and unknown evidence could be unintentionally brushed aside.

Cavendish sighed.

This is a mess.

He hasn't thought of juries, judges, convictions in a long time. It was part of his old life. When he was a lawyer. A barrister for the queen.

It's been over twenty years. If he were to jump into the law again, he'll defiantly be rusty. Besides, he hasn't been keeping track of new rules and laws implemented since then.

This wouldn't have been a problem if he was...

If he was dead.

He's Cavendish. He isn't worth this mess.

Dakota had good intentions by doing this, but he shouldn't have. Dakota would have been better off with a new partner. A better partner.

Why would Dakota even do this? For fun? Did he like having several versions of himself? To have his own island? Did it already exist before they met? There was no way he died that many times. If he did, why would Dakota keep saving him only to postpone his fate?

The only logical reason is that maybe if he died, Dakota would lose his job. That would make sense. What wouldn't make sense is if Dakota did this because he likes having him around. Friends don't do this.

He wouldn't do this for Dakota.

Would he?

If at some point he did, he wouldn't tell himself about it. So there is no way he'd know if he did something like this.

If Dakota died, would he go back in time to save him?

That question made him feel sick. Thinking about his partner dying isn't a pleasant thought. But what made him feel even more ill was that he knows the answer.

He would.

Only because Dakota's life is worth more than his own. If you look at it in a rational way. If Dakota went through university for this job, like him, he's most likely in his early forties. Dakota is still young. He can still find someone and have a family. On the other hand, Cavendish is in his late fifty-three. He is far past his prime. A small part of him still wants some sort of relationship, but he doesn't have as much potential as Dakota.

If you look at it that way, Dakota's life is worth more than his.

That makes sense.

What doesn't make sense is why would Dakota consider Cavendish's life more valuable than his own? Men tend to be more willing to sacrifice themselves than women, though they are more likely to sacrifice themselves for a loved one.

"Gggrrrr!" Cavendish grabbed the edges of his hat to pull it over his eyes.

Love.

The only reason why Dakota, other than being afraid to lose his job, would be if he did this because he loved him. Any other scenario wouldn't make sense. He's not a family member. His life isn't worth more than him. Friends wouldn't do this.

If that's the case, how is he even supposed to deal with this? This is too weird. This is definitely something he's never had to deal with before. In fact, he never had to deal with someone having feelings for him. It's usually the opposite around.

A distance rustle of leaves distracts his thoughts. Something is approaching him from the jungle behind him.

Cavendish lifted his hat back to its place to get a better view of what's approaching him.

The thoughts of it potentially being a wild animal quickly went away when a familiar orange and red figure appeared, "Hey," Dakota greeted, "I know you wanted some alone time, but we're almost done."

Cavendish turned around to face Dakota and tilted his head, "Already?"

"Yup. Turns out when you got like over a hundred of yous hard at work, and the world is at stake, things get done fast. Now it's time to save the world. Again," Dakota shrugged.

Cavendish nodded, "Okay."

Dakota waited a moment but Cavendish stayed on the rock, "Are you coming?"

"Get a head start, I'll follow shortly after."

"Are you sure? This island is kinda big. You might get lost," Dakota pointed out.

"There's a path Dakota. I won't get lost."

"Yeah, but the other Dakotas said that there are cougars and stuff out here."

Cavendish frowned, "I'll be fine."

"I don't mind waiting for you to finish whatever you're doin' here."

Cavendish sighed. Obviously, Dakota wouldn't let him out in the wilderness on his own for that long. But it's not like he can blame him. The existence of this island is enough evidence to know that he's like a child. Unable to be left alone. "Very well then, let's go." He pushed himself off the boulder and towards the forest, walking right passed Dakota.

The purpose of being alone is defeated if there's someone standing nearby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish is in his late fifties! Fight me! I did the math! It takes 5 years to become a barrister, then a barrister needs 10 to 15 years of experience to apply for a patent to become a Queen's barrister. Also, 20 years of studying time travel. 18 + 5 + 10 + 20 = 53. But we also have to add up the time that Cavendish and Dakota were partners, which is still unknown. My guess is Cavendish is in his late fifties.


	54. Banned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota are now banned from time travel.

Banished from time travel and sent to the past.

That is their punishment.

'Not bad,' Dakota thought to himself. He honestly thought they would be thrown in time prison. They got off easy, but that's probably because Block doesn't know the extent of what he did. They were even sent to the 21st century, which, he had to admit, it was a good time to be alive. Sure, no flying cars or real hoverboards, but technology was still going strong. He wasn't sure if he'd survive if they were sent back in time before microwaves or fast food restaurants.

But Cavendish... Cavendish is upset.

"Over! Done! Finished! Banned!" Cavendish shouted.

They are walking down the street. Their destination unknown. Dakota guessed that they are going to walk around the city until it gets too dark. It is late in the evening, but the sun is still out.

"Twenty years down the drain! Twenty years Dakota!" Cavendish looked at Dakota for some sort of reaction.

"Eh, could've been worse. At least we got off easy," Dakota replied.

"Could've been worse? We saved the world and they treat us like rubbish!"

"Yeah, that's kind of the problem with time travel. If it isn't documented or people don't believe you, then it's like it didn't happen."

"Agh! What are we going to do?"

"Cav, relax, we got plenty of time to think about that."

Cavendish stopped, turned around and put his hands on Dakota's shoulders, "Yes, because we are unemployed! We have no purpose!"

Dakota shrugged him off and continued to walk, "I think we need a vacation."

"Vacation? Dakota!" Cavendish ran to catch up to him.

"We just saved the world! We deserve a break."

Cavendish crossed his arms, "We can't afford a break."

Dakota sighed. That wasn't totally true. They don't have a lot of money, but because of the other Dakotas, if they did need money, he's sure they wouldn't mind pitching in. They do exported sodas and laceless shoes.

"We deserve better than this!"

They came across a crosswalk. Without hesitation, Dakota paused and looked both ways.

But Cavendish kept walking. "I just can't believe it! After all we've been through..."

Dakota saw a car driving down the street. Too fast. Cavendish is crossing the street. Realizing what is about to happen, he jumped into action. He grabbed Cavendish's suit and pulled him back with a lot of force.

Cavendish gasped as the car drove by. "Good heavens!"

"Yeah, that was a close one, haha." Dakota rubbed the back of his head, "Gotta be more careful Cav, self-driving cars aren't really a thing yet," his smile went away as soon as he saw Cavendish's face.

"Th-th-that car... Almost hit me..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, if only I had a dime for every time you got hit by a car, haha." Dakota chuckled.

And then, it finally hit him.

Cavendish almost got hurt.

They are banned from time travel.

Cavendish could've died and he wouldn't have be able to go back in time to save him.

They both looked silently at each other. Seeing Dakota's shocked expression, Cavendish instinctively looked away and fumbled with his hands anxiously.

Cavendish loosened his tie and fidgets with it. He's the one to broke the silence, "Perhaps a vacation isn't such a terrible idea."

Dakota looks away, "Um, yeah."

Cavendish started to walk again, "It's getting dark outside, we should head home."

"Mmhm," Dakota nodded and followed him.


	55. Roomates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota move in together. Problems arise and soon after a war beaks out.

Cavendish slammed the mini-fridge's door closed, "DAKOTA!"

That startled him. Dakota, who's sitting at his desk, looked up from his phone, "What? I'm like, literally in the same room as you. No need to shout."

"What happened to **MY** juice?! I had a carton of grape juice in the fridge!"

"Oh yeah. That. I finished it like an hour ago," Dakota shrugged.

"MMHHHH!" Cavendish growled and clenched his fists. That was juice that he paid for. He bought that for himself. And Dakota finished it. Without asking if he could have some first.

Usually, Cavendish wouldn't get upset over something so minuscule, but things kept piling up. After being banned from time travel, they had to move into their crummy office space above a strip mall. They have to live together. In that tiny office. With only one room and a bathroom. ONE ROOM! It felt like being in the dorms again when he was studying time travel. The only difference is that he was lucky enough to have a roommate that was almost never there. This is the first time he has a roommate that is constantly there. A roommate that eats his food. A roommate that has no sense of privacy. And Sundays... Dakota did tell him that he only has six sets of tracksuits and that he 'didn't wear much' on Sundays. But at least he had some decency to keep his pants on. Still, it felt unnatural to be around a shirtless Dakota. That felt like they were crossing some sort of co-worker line.

Seeing Cavendish's scowling at him, Dakota rolled his eyes, "Sheesh, Cav, we can always get more juice later."

"But that was MY juice!" Cavendish pointed to himself.

"Look, I saw juice. I wanted juice. So I drank juice. It's not the end of the world. We. Can. Buy. More. Juice."

"That is completely ludicrous!" Cavendish whined.

"...What?"

"Is that how it's going to be from now on? You see juice and you take it for yourself without asking permission? You take it with the knowledge that it does not belong to you? What's next? Are you going to pour the juice all over the floor and expect me to clean it?"

"Woah, woah woah... Why would I even do that?" Dakota tried to defended himself.

Cavendish raised his hands, "I don't know!"

"Okay, okay," Dakota stood up, "Sounds like someone's being a grumpy grump."

"I am not being a 'grumpy grump'! It's just! Now that we're living together, we should have a set of rules."

Dakota sighed, "Aw, Cav."

"First rule, do not touch my food."

Dakota groaned.

"Second rule, decency! Clothing on at all times," Cavendish started to pace back and forth as he continued to list off the new set of rules, "Third rule, the right side of the office is yours, though, that doesn't mean you should treat it as a pigsty. Clean up after yourself! Forth rule, clean the utensils that you use instead of letting it pile up! Fifth rule-"

"Hey hey hey!" Dakota shook his head.

"Hay is for horses," Cavendish quickly snapped back.

"This wasn't a problem before! Why now?"

"Of course when things start to build up, it'll eventually collapse! Now that we live together, why do I have to change my lifestyle to suit you but you don't have to?"

"What do you mean? You can do whatever you want." Dakota shrugged, "I don't care."

Cavendish crossed his arms, "Ooooh, you will rue those words."

Dakota shrugged, "Whatever."

Cavendish walked to his desk and sat down, "You will rue those words..." He grabbed a nearby book and opened it up to pretend to be reading it as he plot out his revenge plan.

* * *

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

An alarm clock suddenly woke Dakota up. "Ugh..." Because they had to move into their office in such short notice, they both don't have a bed. They slept separately on the ground behind their desks. Lately, both of them were getting little to no sleep. Dakota slid himself from behind his desk to see what is going on.

"Good morning Vinnie!" Cavendish is wide awake. He isn't wearing his suit. He's wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and sweatbands. Something that probably came straight from the 90's.

Dakota looked over at the clock. It's six AM, "Alarm!" Dakota pointed out. The alarm clock is still going off in the background.

"Oh, my apologies," Cavendish turned off the alarm.

Dakota sighed and closed his eyes again. But it didn't take long before he's snapped awake by music. Dakota frowned. "Hey, cool it. Six AM. Sleep."

Cavendish started to do some stretches, "Oh, I've always thought you were a morning person Vinnie."

Dakota tried to use his pillow to muffle the music, "Six AM isn't morning, it's night."

"I don't know about you, but on the weekends I enjoy waking up bright and early. May as well make the most of the weekend, am I correct?"

"Okay," Dakota lifted his head, "I get it. You're gettin' revenge. Cool. Sorry about drinking your juice. I'll never do it again. Good night." Then, he swung his blanket over his head.

Cavendish placed his hands on his hips, "This isn't about the juice! Look at this."

Dakota grumbled.

"Vinnie!"

Dakota peaked through his blanket.

"You have a half-eaten sandwich on your desk!"

Dakota groaned, "So?" 

"You are going to attract bugs!"

"I'mma eat it laterrrrr."

"Later? That is extremely unhygienic! This sandwich has been there almost all day yesterday! In the sun!"

"Meh meh meh meh meh meeeeehh,' Dakota mocked.

Cavendish pouted. Then he reached over to his phone to make his work out music louder.

"Heyyyyyy. You're gonna wake up our neighbours!"

"We don't have neighbours! This place rents out office space! No one other than us are here at this time! We live in an office Vinnie!"

"If we get kicked out, it's your fault."

Cavendish cranked up the music a little bit louder then he continued his work out.

Dakota was able to tolerate the music for a couple of minutes before snapping, "Don't you usually go to the gym to do this?! You don't have to do that here!"

"I didn't find a new gym yet. Besides, we are living on a budget. I can't afford a membership for a gym at this moment.

"You're purposely bein' a wanker right now."

"EY!" Cavendish stopped and snapped back, "Language! Crimany! Don't use British slang. It sounds so unnatural coming from you."

"Don't blame me, you taught me those words."

"SHHHH! That didn't happen!" Cavendish scold.

"MmmmMMMHHH!" Dakota sat up. He gathered his pillow, blanket, and the keys for their time vehicle. Then, he slipped on his slippers before leaving the office. In his boxers.

"Vinnie!" Cavendish cringed and looked away.

But Dakota ignored him. All he wants right now is to get more sleep. And If that means he has to sleep in the car, it's better than what is happening now.

* * *

Juice. It started with juice.

Dakota stared at the new carton of juice in their mini-fridge. Cavendish bought it earlier today. Dakota didn't know he wanted juice until he saw it in the fridge. Knowing that he 'wasn't allowed' to drink it, made him want it even more. The craving he is feeling for juice right now is unquenchable.

He grabbed it with an evil grin. If Cavendish didn't wake him up so early, maybe he wouldn't have had this unusual craving for juice right now. He took off the lid and started drinking it right from the bottle. He made sure Cavendish could get a good look at what he is doing right now.

"VINNIE DAKOTA!" Cavendish stomped his way towards his roommate.

Dakota lowered the carton, "What?"

Anger ran through Cavendish's veins, "THAT'S! AH! You know that's mine!"

"So? I would've totally loved to not sleep in the car this morning, but I guess we can't all have what we want."

"You could have at least used a cup!"

"I thought you weren't scared of my germs anymore. And look at the bright side, less dishes to clean! Wasn't that one of the things you complained about?"

Cavendish growled, "Oh, this is war."

Dakota put the juice back in the fridge, "You started it."

"I did no such thing!"

"Don't you remember what happened this morning?"

Cavendish crossed his arms, "Yooooou told me I didn't have to adapt to your way of life."

Dakota frowned, "I know you don't wake up at six AM to go to the gym!"

"Well, due to our current circumstances, I've been experiencing symptoms of insomnia. May as well start the day instead of continuing to lay on the wooden floor, of our office, for a few more hours!"

"Oh boohoo! You're not the only one having a hard time sleeping! Cause, guess what? I had this annoying roommate that woke me up at six AM today!"

"Blast it all! Why do I even bother!" Cavendish stormed towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

Cavendish opened the door, "Somewhere else!"

"Fine!" Dakota shouted.

"Fine!" And with that, Cavendish slammed the door behind him.

Being stuck in a room with Dakota for hours is starting to get to him. They barely argued before. Most of the time, it was only playful arguments that didn't have much of an impact. Such as arguing about where they're going to eat. But now, things are boiling up to the point that Cavendish needed to storm out.

To cool himself down.

To be alone.

Privacy and being alone were privileges that he no longer has. And that annoyed him to the core.

* * *

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Dakota looked up at the clock again. This is the third time he looked at it in the last ten minutes. Cavendish isn't back yet.

It's now past one in the morning.

"Ughhh, Caaaavvvv..." Dakota sighed. The more time that goes by, the more anxious he would become. Then, scenarios started to play in his head. What if Cavendish got mugged? What if he was attacked? They're banned from time travel. If Cavendish dies. That's it. Game over. Not only that, they had an argument before Cavendish stormed off. Is that how it all ends? With an argument? And Dakota didn't do anything to stop it. If they didn't have that argument, he wouldn't have stormed out. If something bad happened to Cavendish, it would all be his fault.

CREEEK.

Cavendish slowly opened the door. He walked in quietly before glancing at Dakota. He's sitting at his desk.

Seeing Cavendish, he felt extremely relieved but at the same time, anger. "Well, well, well, looks like someone finally decided to show up."

Cavendish huffed. Seeing that Dakota is awake, he felt no need to be quiet anymore. He threw his jacket onto his desk before practically collapsing onto his 'bed'.

"Hey!" Dakota got up from his desk, "Balthazar Cavendish! Where were you?"

"Somewhere," Cavendish mumbled.

"Somewhere? I was worried about you!"

Cavendish huffed, "Why?"

"Because we're friends! Remember?"

"Oh don't pretend that you were worried about me."

"I was! I thought you'd be home before ten!"

Cavendish looked away.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Cavendish continued to ignore him.

"Balthazar!!"

Cavendish threw his blanket over his head.

"Agh!" Dakota slid off his chair and onto his 'bed'. He grabbed his pillow and yelled in it. That did help calm him down a bit. Now, he's emotionally exhausted. All this stress for no reason.

* * *

Knock knock knock!

"Occupied!" Dakota called out from within the bathroom.

"I know! You've been in there for over an hour!" Cavendish shouted back.

"I was taking a shower!" Dakota started to dry himself off with a towel.

"Normal people don't take showers for over an hour!"

"I wasn't in the shower for an hour! Oh cool, that rhymed, haha." Dakota laughed to himself.

"Yes you were! Get out!" Cavendish started knocking on the door impatiently.

"Yeah yeah yeah! Gimmy a moment," Dakota looked at himself in the mirror, checking if he needed to shave. While he's looking at himself, he noticed something... Off. He used his hands to inspect his hair. He thought his eyes were deceiving him for a moment but getting a better look, there is no denying it. The roots of his hair are gray.

That is concerning.

Dakota didn't think he is old enough to start having gray hair, but, he didn't know how old he is anymore. Maybe stressing out about Cavendish being on his last life is not good for him. He could always dye it if it becomes more obvious.

"Vinnie!" Cavendish shouted.

"Yeah! I said give me a moment!" Dakota shouted back.

"I did!"

"I'm not even dressed yet!"

"Hurry up then!"

Dakota rolled his eyes, "Fine!" Dakota grabbed his clean clothes before opening the door of the bathroom. "There! The bathroom's all yours! Happy?"

"Oh my goodness!" Cavendish shouted and covered his eyes.

"I told you I wasn't dressed yet."

"Decency Dakota!"

"You wanted me out. I'm out!"

"AGH!" Cavendish shouted before entering the bathroom and closing the door behind him. He felt flustered. Secondhand embarrassment. That was the first time he has ever seen his... Co-worker... In such an unpresentable manner.

Cavendish sighed before remembering the task at hand. Dakota wasn't the only one due for a shower. Glancing around the bathroom, that's when he became aware of the condition of the room. Mist filled the air and water covered parts of the floor and sink. The shower is, obviously, wet.

That turned Cavendish's stomach. The shower being wet is just a reminder that Dakota got to the shower first. Now he's stuck with sloppy seconds and a permanent scar of seeing his co-worker in his birthday suit.

* * *

Cavendish forced himself to stare at his book. But he couldn't focus on what he's reading.

Monday.

It's Monday.

When they got back from their new job, Dakota took off his shirt and pants. Now, he's leaning against his chair with his legs on his desk. In his boxers.

After the 'incident' yesterday, Dakota seemed to have forgotten how to wear clothes. He is doing this to annoy him. Earlier, Cavendish accidentally made eye contact for a second and Dakota shot him a grin. An annoying 'I know this bothers you' type of grin. All he could do was look away with a quick "Uck."

And this is how it was for the next week. Both of them fighting over ownership of their 'apartment'. Both of them doing petty things to annoy one another. Things like Dakota walking around barely dressed. Cavendish tainting his juice with ketchup mixed with water so that Dakota would get a nasty surprise when he drank the juice from the carton.

That started the pranks.

Dakota attempted an immature prank by putting Cavendish's hand in warm water while he was sleeping. Fortunately for Cavendish's dignity, it didn't work.

Cavendish retaliated with his own immature prank. Putting whip cream on Dakota's hand while he slept and tickling his nose. The prank did work, but Dakota didn't really care. He licked up the whipped cream and went back to sleep.

He should've used shaving cream...

Cavendish thought it would be best to hurt Dakota by using his weakness against him. Food. Since his juice prank worked, he tried different things. Buying donuts and replacing the filling with hot sauce. Putting a plastic bug in his bag of trail mix. Leaving vanilla pudding with the contents replaced with mayonnaise. Cavendish was sure that at that point he gave Dakota trust issues. At least he stopped stealing his food.

Dakota made sure to leave a mess where ever he went. Even leaving a fake remote control rat under some trash for Cavendish to find. One loud scream later, Cavendish practically gave him the death stare for an hour.

Then, Dakota decided to contaminated Cavendish's shampoo with blue dye.

After a full week of them messing with each other, Cavendish had enough. All these foolish pranks are getting them nowhere.

Kockkockkockkockkockkockkock!

Dakota knocked loudly outside of the bathroom door using both of his hands.

Cavendish hadn't even been in there for that long. He made sure to get up before Dakota so he could get first dibs on the shower. Which, wasn't that much of a competition mainly because, unfortunately for him, that's how he found out that Dakota rarely showered.

Kockkockkockkockkockkockkock!

Cavendish growled to himself. If he told him to cut that out, that means Dakota won. The smart thing to do is to ignore it. Obviously, Dakota is doing that for some sort of reaction.

Mentally tuning out the knocking, he looked at himself in the mirror.

Blue.

His hair and mustache are still blue from Dakota's stupid prank. He was hoping that Dakota was nice enough to get a dye that would eventually wash out, but that doesn't seem to be the case. He looks like a clown.

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK!

The knocking got louder and more annoying. Now it is definitely getting on his nerves, "I'll be out in a second!" Cavendish hissed as he dried himself off with a towel.

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK!!!

Cavendish's eye started to twitch.

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK!!!!

Stupid pranks. Stupid blue hair. This wasn't 'fun' anymore. But he doesn't want to be the one to cave in. That would mean Dakota won. He couldn't let him win.

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK!!!!

"THAT'S IT!" Cavendish snapped. At this point, why should he care? He grabbed his cloths before swinging the door open. "CRIMANY! There! The bathroom's yours!"

Dakota froze. His eyes quickly dropped down but instantly shot back up once he realized Cavendish's current state.

An awkward silence filled the room. Regret flooded Cavendish's soul as he tried to not look embarrassed. "W **H** aT? YoU **d** iD thE saME th **iN** g to mE!"

Dakota had to force himself to keep eye contact.

Eye contact.

EYE CONTACT.

Dakota quickly looked down and back up again. Right after he did that, he mentally yelled, 'WTF is wrong with you?! Don't look there!' to himself.

"Well?!" Cavendish shouted.

"Mhm," it's as if Dakota's brain isn't able to use words right now.

"Aren't you going to move out of the way?!" Cavendish scowled. All he wanted is for this awkward encounter to be over with but Dakota is blocking his path.

"Uhhh. OHYEAH! UM!" Dakota moved aside. He looked away and mumbled a quick, "Sorry."

Cavendish walked into the room and afterwards, Dakota practically ran into the bathroom.

Being alone in the room now, Cavendish sighed. He put on his clothes as he mentally marked this encounter onto the list of stupid things he's done.

* * *

Cavendish and Dakota sat at their desks. Things got quiet after the new 'incident'.

"Uhhh... Ummm..." Dakota sighed.

Cavendish lowered his book to pay attention.

"Nevermind."

Cavendish was about to say something but instead he bit down on his lower lip.

"Can we...." Dakota spoke up again.

"Stop this?" Cavendish finished his question.

"Sorry. Super sorry..."

Cavendish closed his book, "Erm, yes. I apologize as well," Cavendish sighed, "All this bickering and challenging one another is truly unnecessary."

"Yup."

"Ermmm... I'm simply not used to living in such close proximity to someone else. It has been... Stressful for me."

"Yeah... I wasn't helpin' ya either. You are kinda right before. Ya know, when you talked about rules?"

"Of course! Rules. Rule number one-"

"EY!" Dakota interrupted.

Cavendish shut his mouth.

"That's better. When I said rules... Like... I mean, unspoken rules. We don't need to write up a list and stick it on the wall. Simple rules like 'if you make a mess, you have to clean it up', or, 'if one of us is sleeping, the other has to be quiet'... oooor... 'Don't be out passed midnight'?... Stuff like that."

Cavendish nodded his head, "Agreed."

Dakota smiled, "Okay, good."

"Truce?"

"Truce."

"Finally!" Cavendish sighed in relief.

Dakota got up from his chair and opened his arms, "Come here."

Cavendish went over to him and gave him a hug.

Dakota gave him a quick hug, "Okay, good, we're buddies again. Now, I should probably clean up my desk," Dakota motioned towards his desk which is covered in wrappers, dirty dishes, and other things. He purposely did that to annoy Cavendish. But now it's gotten so bad that it's starting to annoy himself.

"Yes, do that."

"Cool," Dakota turned around to clean up his desk, but then he paused, "Um, can you get rid of all the 'prank' food? I'm even worried about eating my own food now."

"There isn't any left," Cavendish dismissed, "OH WAIT! There's, heh heh, there's a hidden box of fireside girl cupcakes with toothpaste filling in it. I should... I should get rid of that..."

Dakota gasped, "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"

"I figured that if I hid it and you found it, then you would think that I'm hiding them from you to keep them for myself. Which would result in you consuming them."

"THAT IS EVIL! WHY WOULD YOU RUIN FIRESIDE GIRL CUPCAKES?!

"Well, I ate most of them to make it look even less suspicious before filling the rest with toothpaste."

"AND YOU DIDN'T SHARE! OH MY HEART! THIS IS THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL!"

Cavendish took the box out of his desk, "I'll get more!" Cavendish chuckled, "No need to be all dramatic."

"MmmMMMmm," Dakota stared at the box, "Gimmy."

"Vinnie... They have toothpaste in them."

"Idon'tcare. Gimmmmmy," Vinnie tired to snatch the box.

"VINNIE NO! Bad Vinnie!" Cavendish had to hold the box above his head.

"Gimmy!"

"They're going to make you sick! I'll get you new once that are not contaminated!"

"But I want them now!"

Cavendish frowned. He practically shoved the box at Dakota. "Fine. But this better not end in a call to poison control."

Dakota swiped the box and retreated behind his desk. He started to eat them but tried his best to avoid the toothpaste filling.

"And don't forget to finish cleaning your desk! If you need me, I'm going to go buy some gray hair dye," Cavendish pulled down his hat to try to hide more of his new unnatural hair colour before getting ready to leave. "I'll be back in less than an hour."

"Kay!"

Cavendish left and closed the door. Finally, no more pranks and revenge plots. He wasn't sure how much longer he would've put up with that. It was slowly driving him crazy.


	56. Forgotten Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota go to a storage unit to find some stuff for their office/apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: A bit sad. I like to mess with your emotions cause I'm evil!

What looks like a garage door slowly opens up, unveiling several cardboard boxes and different trinkets.

It is a storage unit.

Dakota walked inside, "To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what's in here. It's just a bunch of random stuff from different timelines," he confessed.

Cavendish looked at the contents of the storage unit. It is a bit of a mess, but it didn't have that many big things in it. Mostly just boxes and containers. "Are you at least sure there's something useful in here?"

"Maybe," Dakota shrugged, "Just come in and look around. You can have anything you want, I don't really care."

Apparently, Dakota has a secret storage unit in this timeline. Since they recently started living in what used to be their office, they need some random stuff. Things like more lighting, blankets, microwave, kettle, mattresses, and other stuff.

Cavendish watched Dakota go through some stuff before he did starts to do the same. He felt a bit awkward going through someone else's stuff.

The first box he went through is full of clothes that he has never seen Dakota wear before. There's a mechanic outfit, a tie-dye shirt, a robe, a vest, and also a different pair of sunglasses. Realizing that the box only has clothes in it, Cavendish moved onto a different box.

Dakota lifts up a blender, "Oh cool, a blender. Do you think we need one? To be honest, I got this thing when I moved out of my parents' place as a 'moving-out' gift. I never used it. Had it in my apartment for years. When I got this storage unit. I put all the stuff that I didn't use, but I didn't want to throw away."

Cavendish thought for a moment, "I don't have a use for one."

"Okey dokey," Dakota patted the blender, "Sorry, buddy, time to go back in the box for a couple more years. Don't worry, I'll find a purpose for you one day. Maybe if I have kids, I can give you to them as a moving-out gift."

Cavendish silently giggled to himself after overhearing Dakota's one-sided conversation with the blender. Cavendish opens another box and found a holographic tv. It's a small black box, but with a press of a button, a holographic tv screen can appear and it can be any size you want. "You have a holographic tv just lying around?"

"Hm? Oh! Awesome! I accidentally duplicated it. You see, I had it in the back of the time machine when I was shopping. But then you died and not only did I duplicated myself, I duplicated the tv. I put it in here because it felt wrong to keep it, since, you know, it isn't really legal to duplicate things. We can totally bring that back to the apartment!"

"No, we can't. We'd be in so much trouble if we get caught with things from the future."

Dakota sighed, "Oh yeah..."

Cavendish put the tv back into the box.

"Hey, didn't you want a water boiling thing?" Dakota lifted up a kettle that he just found.

"Excellent! We can bring it with us. And Dakota, it's called a kettle."

"Yeah whatever," Dakota walked over some boxes to put the kettle outside of the storage unit.

Cavendish opened yet another box and found a dark green and brown vase with a lid on it, "This is a nice vase."

Dakota looked up but when he saw what Cavendish is holding, his eyes widen.

Cavendish turned it around only to see his name engraved on it. That's when Cavendish realized that he is, in fact, not holding a vase, he's holding an urn. "Wait..."

Dakota cleared his throat, "Well, um, I'm glad you like your urn...Haha..." he nervously chuckled, "I... I forgot I put that thing in here."

Cavendish couldn't help himself, his morbid curiosity made him take a look at what's inside it. And yes, there's ashes in it. His ashes. He is literally holding his own ashes. Cavendish isn't sure how to feel about this.

"You see..." Dakota started to explain, "Once I was stuck in the past for a bit. They asked me what I wanted to do with your body... It... It didn't feel right to tell them to throw you away or whatever and it would've cost a fortune to get a coffin and grave that'll just disappear when I fixed everything. So... I told them to cremate you..." Telling that story made Dakota's eyes start to water.

Cavendish knew that he died every now and then and Dakota would go back in time to save him. But he never really thought about the effect and the toll it would have on Dakota. "Vinnie..." Cavendish put down the urn and went over to Dakota to comfort him.

That's when Dakota broke down. He pulled Cavendish into a hug and started crying. "I... I can't believe I... I forgot about you..."

Cavendish patted Dakota's back, "It's okay Vinnie."

"No! It's not okay!" Dakota lifted his head to look at Cavendish, "I forgot about you! I just left you here with all this junk! Collecting dust like everything else in here! What was I thinking?"

Cavendish isn't good at comforting people. Also, he wasn't sure how to feel about this situation. Not knowing what to say, he says the first thing that comes to mind, "It, it doesn't matter anymore. That timeline no longer exists."

Dakota pushed himself away from Cavendish, "To you!" Dakota pointed at his head, "I still got the memories. It still happened! Of course you don't remember, but I do!"

This is why Cavendish isn't good at comforting people. He never says the right things.

"Those ashes was a person! He was you! He was my partner!" Dakota went and picked up the urn. He looked at it. That thing used to be a big part of his world. He would hold it and talk to it as if Cavendish was still around. Pretending that it would respond the way he thought Cavendish would respond.

"You have memories of that?" Cavendish quietly asked.

"Yeah! I remember every time you died!"

If Dakota remembers every time he died, that means the version of Dakota that saw him die stays with him while the other goes to the island. That seems... Very traumatizing. Cavendish assumed that it was the opposite around. The Dakota who saw Cavendish die would go to the island. Cavendish isn't sure what to say anymore. "Do you.... Do you want to take it home?" Cavendish cautiously asked.

"I don't want to leave him here, but, it would be weird to have him in the apartment." Dakota looks at Cavendish, "What do you want to do?"

Cavendish cleared his throat, "Well... I've sort of been fond of tree burials. It's when you plant a tree in the ashes. That way, the person lives on as a part of nature."

Dakota teared up a bit, "I like that," Dakota wiped away a tear, "Can we do that?"

Cavendish nodded, "Of course we can."

Dakota shook his head and cleared his throat, "Ha, wow, flash from the past. W-we don't need to do that now. We didn't come here for this." Dakota walked over some boxes and carefully put the urn next to the kettle outside of the storage unit.

"Are you sure you want to continue?"

Dakota wiped his face on his sleeve, "Yeah, I'm fine now. Besides, we really need a microwave. I can not remember if I put one in here, so keep digging," Dakota said with a smile.

Cavendish nodded his head, "Alright," he glanced at the urn before going through a different box.

Throughout their search, Cavendish occasionally looked at Dakota to make sure he's okay. It looked like he's pretending to be okay.


	57. Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota share a bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Very slight shipping stuff.

There's a knock on the door of their office/apartment.

Cavendish answered it, "Yes?"

It's Dakota with a mattress by his side.

"Dakota? Did you forget your keyyyyys.... What is that?" Cavendish pointed at the mattress beside Dakota.

"I'm tired of sleeping on the floor so I got a mattress! Surprise!" Dakota said with a smile.

Looking at the condition of the mattress, it's obviously _used_. "Dakota..."

"What? I thought you'd be happy."

Cavendish frowned, "How much did you pay for that thing?"

"OH! That's the best part! There was this couple giving it away at a garage sale! They wanted it gone, but they didn't have a pickup to take it to the dump."

"That's even worse! It could have bed bugs!" Cavendish jumped back in disgust.

"Sure, there's a tear on the back of it and some stains... But! All we need to do is put a bed cover on it! Then, bam! Good as new!"

"That won't make the bed bugs disappear!"

Dakota rolled his eyes, "It doesn't have bed bugsssss. You're bein' a party pooper."

"Why did you even think I would be happy about it? All this would do is take up space!"

"Wouldn't you rather sleep on a bed instead of the floor?"

Cavendish crossed his arms, "Isn't the mattress for you?"

"It's for the both of us."

Cavendish's eyes widen, "No," he stepped back into the apartment and slammed the door.

"Hey!" Dakota opened the door again. "A little help?" Dakota asked as he tries to drag the mattress into the apartment.

Cavendish frowned, "No."

"Come on! I dragged this thing up a flight of stairs!"

Cavendish lifts his hands up, "I am not touching a used mattress! You have no idea what it has been through!"

"Meh meh meh, I'm Cavendish and I'm a germaphobe," Dakota mocked Cavendish.

"You're going to catch a disease!"

Dakota pushes the mattress on to the ground, in the middle of the room. "At least I'll get eight hours of sleep. Anyways, like I told you, I'll get a bed cover for it."

"It's taking up too much space!"

"Wow, not only are you a germaphobe, you're scared of change too."

"I'm not-! Dakota! What I'm saying is that I'd like to be able to walk in this place without having to walk over things."

"Well I'm sorry that this place is tiny. What do you want me to do?"

"It would have been better if you have gotten two smaller beds. At least we could place those behind our desks and they wouldn't be in the middle of the room!"

"Oh, again, I'm sorry. I should've asked the couple to give me two free mattresses instead of this one."

Cavendish looks at the mattress, "Maybe we could cut it?"

Dakota gave Cavendish an annoyed look, "What? This is a spring mattress. You can't do that."

"Hhhhmmmh," Cavendish mumbled disapprovingly.

"It... It could be just a temporary thing. You know, until we get a sofa bed or something."

Cavendish sighed, "Very well. I'll allow this for now."

"Good!" Dakota walks towards the door, "I'll be back. I'm gonna go buy a bed cover."

Cavendish glares disappointingly at the mattress in the middle of the room.

* * *

Dakota got into his pyjamas. Usually, he'd rather sleep in his boxers, but Cavendish. Dakota guessed that if Cavendish does change his mind and decides to share the bed, it would be wayyyy too awkward if he wasn't wearing pyjamas.

He tossed his pillow and blanket onto the mattress that now has a new bed cover on it. "There." After that, he collapses onto the bed. "Yeah! This is way better than the floor!"

Cavendish frowned. He's in his nightgown. "Goodnight." He walks over to behind his desks and laid on the ground.

"You're gonna mess up your back."

"If it means keeping my dignity, it's a price I'm willing to pay," Cavendish takes off his glasses and puts it next to him.

Dakota shifted a bit, "It's not that weird to share a bed."

"Yes, it is."

"I got a bunch of brothers and sisters. For a while, when I was like five, I had to share a bed with my big brother."

Cavendish sighed, "You were a child. We are not children."

Dakota sat up, "But I'll feel bad if I get a comfy bed and you have to sleep on the flooooor."

"For the last time, no. Now, are you going to allow me to sleep?"

"Caaaaavvvvvvv."

Cavendish groaned and covered his ears.

Dakota gets out of the bed and peaks over Cavendish's desk, "There is no way you're comfortable right now."

Cavendish snatches his glasses and puts them on, "That's enough. Shoo!" Cavendish hit Dakota with his pillow.

A slightly stunned Dakota smiled, "Ah! Oh I see...." he slowly backed away with a sly smile.

Cavendish rolled his eyes, "Oh no, what have I done?"

Dakota came back and hits Cavendish with his pillow, "Ah ha!"

Cavendish adjusted his glasses, "Vinnie Dakota! We have work in the morning!"

Dakota hit him again with his pillow. Knocking Cavendish's glasses slightly out of place again.

"Oh that is it!" Cavendish gets up and hit Dakota with his pillow.

"Hahahahaha! Pillow fight!"

Cavendish growled, "This is not a pillow fight!"

Dakota slapped him across the face with his pillow once more.

"NEH!" Cavendish retaliated.

And with that, an epic pillow fight ensued!

...Until they tired themselves out.

"Alright," Cavendish lowered his pillow, "It is time to go to sleep. We'll never be able to wake up in the morning."

Dakota laid down on the right side of the bed. "Ooookaaayyy," Dakota replied somewhat disappointingly.

Cavendish looked at the spot behind his desk, then back at the bed.

It's a king size bed... And Dakota's wearing pyjamas...

He sighed. He really didn't want to wake up sore in the morning. This will only be a one-night thing.

Going behind his desk, he grabs his blanket and went back to the bed. "You better stay on that half of the bed," Cavendish warned.

"Wait..." Dakota smiled. "Yay, sleepover!"

Cavendish used his foot to push Dakota's blanket to the other side of the bed, "I'm not sure you understand the definition of 'sleepover'. Sleepover is when a person stays overnight at another person's house. We've already been doing that for almost two weeks. In fact, we're now apparently 'roommates', so what we've been doing is not even considered sleeping over."

"Yap yap yap, get over here."

"Ugh," Cavendish slowly rested himself on the left side of the bed, covering himself with his blanket and laying his head on his pillow. He also took off his glasses and put them next to the mattress.

They both laid on the bed, on their backs. Dakota has a goofy smile, "Soooooo, who was your first crush?"

"Okay, we're not doing this," Cavendish sat up.

"Nooooo, come on Cavvvv."

"I'm tired. I want to sleep. I will not participate in 'gossip' or 'drama'."

"Booooooo. We've known each other for like over a year now and I only know random things about you."

"Like what?"

"Apparently you know how to play the piano. You studied time travel, and you were once a barista for the queen or somethin'? Whatever that means."

"I was a barrister! Not a barista! Which means I was a lawyer for the queen."

"Really? Wow."

"It wasn't only me, there were others. We were specialized in lawsuits.

"Sounds super boring."

Cavendish shrugged.

"Soooo, what happened? Why'd ya stop bein' a lawyer?"

Cavendish frowns, "The..." he looks away, "The court was corrupted. It felt wrong defending people who were guilty and lying in the courtroom. It... It felt wrong."

"Ooookay." Dakota felt as if he shouldn't press the issue.

"After I left, I decided to study time travel. While I was at it, I also decided to get a pilot license."

"Wow... Wait, you have a pilot license?"

"Hm? Oh. Yes. It was something that I figured if I put my mind to it, I could achieve it. Also, I thought it would look good on a resume. I heard it makes your chances of getting hired as a time traveller much higher."

"Nice. Why didn't you just get a flying car license? It's way easier and it still looks good on a resume."

Cavendish chuckled, "Pffffff. Whats next? Are you going to tell me to get a bike instead of a car? Flying a car and flying a jet are two completely different things."

Dakota giggles, "I guess you do have a point."

"Do you have a flying car license?"

"Yup. Failed three times before getting it though."

"Ouch."

"Yeah... I didn't really study for it. I thought I could wing it." Dakota smirked, "Get it?"

Cavendish frowned.

"Wing it? Cause flying cars have wi-"

"I get it!"

Dakota chuckles.

Cavendish's fake anger fads into sorrow, "Dakota?"

Dakota's laughter quiets down, "Yeah?

"Do you?... Do you miss the future?"

Dakota gazes up at the ceiling. Did he miss the future? He hasn't really thought about it before. Now that they're banned from time travel, he'll never see his family ever again. He knows that. But at the same time, that didn't feel true. In a way, even though right now they're banned from the future, Dakota feels like it's only temporary. "Not really to be honest."

"Don't you miss your family?"

"I... I'm sure I'll see them again. Maybe Mr. Block will give us visitation rights or something. It's not like they can cover us up. My family will ask questions after not hearing from me for over a week. I'm sure they're fighting to see right now."

Cavendish glances away, "The Supreme Tribunal often covers things up. What if they told your family you've passed?"

Dakota jumped a bit, "Th-they can't do that? Can they? That doesn't sound legal."

"We've broken the number one rule of time travel. Obviously, they wouldn't let people know about that. If it were to get out that you're being punished for saving someone, there could be protest. Putting B.O.T.T. in a bad light. A simple way to avoid this is to claim that both of us passed during a mission. Covering everything up..."

Dakota forced a smile, "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll see our family again."

"I'm sorry."

Dakota glanced at his partner, "Sorry for what?"

"If I wasn't such a fool, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"What do you mean by that? It's not like it's your fault that you were dying all the time."

Cavendish looks down at his hands, "It is... Because of me you'll never see your family again."

"I knew it was wrong to go back in time to save you. I decided to go through with it. It was about time that it would all blow up in my face. It's not your fault. You didn't ask me to save you."

They both fell silent.

Looking around at what used to be their office, Dakota couldn't help but feel like this is all temporary. This can't be it. They've been through so much together. His dad told him that things always turns out for the best. Maybe this is for the best? Cleaning up garbage is way less dangerous than being a time traveller. The last close call Cavendish had was when they were hunting down a yeti. Now, the most dangerous thing that can happen is if they stumble across some unreported alien stuff.

Since the atmosphere is all gloomy, Dakota decided to try to change the subject. "But, you still didn't answer my first question."

"My apologies, what was that question?"

Vinnie smirks. It's time to lighten the mood, "Who was your first crush?"

"Dakota! Not this again!"

"Come on! Sleepover! We're supposed to talk about girls!"

"We are in no position to even think of having a relationship. We don't even have our own places."

Dakota rolls his eyes, "What about Hildegard?"

Cavendish pouted, crossed his arms, and turned his head away from Dakota. "It... That doesn't matter. She's in the future, and I'm stuck here. Besides, before we got banned, I haven't even spoken to her for a while."

Dakota's smile went away. Oops, bringing up Hildegard probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, "Why do you even like her? She always rejects you."

"Yes, however... She's really smart... I like talking to her... And she greets me in the hallway when we pass each other. At least, she used to before she became a first-class agent."

"Ya kidding me right? All because she's nice to you, you love her?"

"No! Well... People aren't often nice to me."

Dakota sighed, "Ah whatever..." he shrugged, "Women suck, amIright?" he nudged Cavendish.

"You shouldn't group people like that."

"I... I'm kiddin'."

"Hildegard is nice, clever, and is an independent person. All because she doesn't see me as a compatible partner, doesn't mean she's suddenly a bad person."

"Whatever man. She's not that clever if she doesn't see how great of a catch you are."

That made Cavendish turn over to look at Dakota, "Vinnie! I'm... I'm not that great."

"Dude... You're the smartest person I know. Sure you can be clumsy, naive, stubborn, a know-it-all, a stick-in-the-mud,-"

Cavendish frowned.

"-Paranoid, a brown-noser, boring, naggy,-"

"Alright! I get it!"

"But that's what makes you, you! That's why you're so fun to be around. You're there to talk some sense into me when I'm thinking of doing something stupid and I'm here to remind you to have some fun every once an awhile. We make each other better!"

Cavendish never thought about that before, Dakota is right. And wrong. But mostly right. They play off each other. They're like two pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together. But then, there are some moments when they accidentally created leap year or when they destroyed Earth's second moon.

Dakota smiles at Cavendish, "You're a great person and don't you dare forget about it!"

Cavendish smiled back. He felt his eyelids get heavy, "Thank you, you're quite an exceptional individual as well."

"Exceptional? That's it? That's all I'm getting from you?"

Cavendish smirked, "Dakota, you complete me."

Dakota opened his mouth to say something but couldn't think of anything. He's speechless. It took a moment for him to remember that he needed to breathe to live. Cavendish probably only said that because they were talking about how they work better together. At least that's what Dakota told himself.

The silence in the air made Dakota feel awkward. He feels like he needed to say something, but he just couldn't figure out the right words. This just annoyed him more. Dakota wasn't the type to be speechless. Usually, when he can't think of what to say, he'll say something stupid but right now, he couldn't even think of something stupid to say.

"So what? Haha," Dakota focused a laugh. "Now that I'm nice to you, are you're falling for me? Ha." He said something stupid. All he can do is hope Cavendish didn't know what he meant, or he'll scoff at his stupid joke.

Dakota expected a reaction, but nothing.

"Cav?" Dakota looked at him.

He's asleep. Cavendish fell asleep.

Dakota wasn't sure if he dodged a bullet or he spent so much time thinking of what to say that Cavendish fell asleep. Ah well, it is getting late. He should go to sleep too. Dakota turned to his side, to face away from Cavendish, and tried to fall asleep. It was harder than usual to fall asleep, even if he wasn't sleeping on the floor.

* * *

In the morning Cavendish woke up. The morning sun bathe the room with light. Because of the bed, he slept way better than usual. Cavendish stretched and attempted to sit up, only to find Dakota with his arms around him.

Instincts automatically caused Cavendish to shove Dakota away from him with a little more force than he intended.

He ended up pushing Dakota off the mattress.

That gave Dakota a rude awakening. He felt a bit of pain and now is aware of the cold floor under him. He isn't on the mattress anymore. He's on the floor. "Ugh." He opened his eyes just to see an angry Cavendish glaring at him. "What?"

Cavendish puts on his glasses, "I told you to say on your side of the bed."

"What?" Dakota repeated. The room isn't dark anymore so he guessed that it's the morning, but he's still really tired. Dakota adjusted his sunglasses

"When I woke up, you were on my side of the bed."

"I was?"

The anger quickly washed away and now Cavendish feels guilty, "Sorry, I didn't intend to push you off the bed." Dakota was asleep after all, he didn't consciously cross the line. "Wait, did you fall asleep with your sunglasses on?"

"Hm?" Dakota touched his sunglasses, "Oh, I guess I did."

"You can break them like that."

Dakota yawns, "Yeahhh... What time is it?"

Their communicator started to ring, "Apparently it's time for work." Cavendish answered it and as he thought, it's Bob giving them another mission.

It's time for them to get up and go to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've copied and paste this whole story in a thing that calculates how long it takes to read something and it says it takes over seven hours! If you read this story up to this point, I literally changed your life.
> 
> I've lowered your lifespan by seven hours.
> 
> Do I absorb those hours and become younger? Is that how it works? Cause I'm the one who wrote this story?


	58. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> P.I.G. experiences an outbreak during Halloween while Cavendish and Dakota go trick-or-treating!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S TIME FOR THE SPOOKS!!!!!
> 
> "But Queen Tigress, It's no where near October..."
> 
> IT IS TIME!
> 
> FOR!
> 
> THE!
> 
> SPOOKS!

"Are we almost done?" Dakota asked.

Cavendish wrote down some more stuff on a piece of paper. Afterwards, he put it on top of a pile of paper, "We're done."

"Wait, we're done?"

"We are done."

"Finally!" Dakota collapsed onto Cavendish's desk, "I'm exhausted."

Cavendish stood up and picked up the pile of paper, "Let's get this over with," he walked towards their locker and shoved the papers in it.

"You do know that's not a teleporter anymore, right?"

Cavendish took a moment to prosses what just happened. Dakota is right. Their locker is a normal locker now.

"Aghhhh, this paperwork is due tonight!"

"Okay," Dakota pushed himself off the desk, "Let's go."

Cavendish faces Dakota, "It's alright, I'll go. There's no point in dragging both of us to deliver paper," Cavendish opens the locker again to take the paperwork out of it. "I'll be back in about thirty minutes."

"I'll go with you."

"Vinnie, you don't need to."

"I know, I want to."

Cavendish sighed in defeat, "Very well, come along." He heads out the door. Dakota follows behind. They get into their car and Cavendish drives towards P.I.G.'s organization.

It seemed like Bob Block only gave them the jobs that no one else is willing to do. They had to do a bunch of paperwork of several P.I.G.'s employees. It took all day. Non-stop. Cavendish hasn't even eaten anything in six hours. The only thing fueling his body right now is tea. Dakota helped a lot. It was difficult for him to get started and to understand what needed to be done, but eventually, he got the hang of it. The job wasn't physically demanding, but they were both exhausted by the end of it.

So exhausted that when Cavendish arrived at their destination, Dakota fell asleep in the passenger seat. Seeing this, Cavendish went alone. There is no need to wake Dakota up just so that he can escort him to the building. Cavendish got out of the car and starts walking towards the entrance of the building.

Even though it is a little past eight pm, it's pitch black outside. That's probably because it is late October.

Cavendish walks into the building. It took a while, but he found his way to their boss's office. He knocks on the door.

"Come in!" Bob calls out.

Cavendish walks in and sets the stack of paper on top of his boss's desk. "It's all done."

"Ah that's great to hear! Thank you! You and Vinnie are valued members of this organization! I know this must have been difficult to get all done in such short notice, but I knew you two can pull through! Again, thank you!"

Cavendish put his hands behind his back and tried to maintain a good posture "No problem."

"Good good, you may leave."

Cavendish nodded his head, "Of course, have a good evening."

"You too!"

And with that, Cavendish left the office. Unlike their previous boss, Bob often complimented them. Maybe it was because of the fact that he just spent several hours doing that paperwork, but those words felt empty. As more time goes by, Cavendish is starting to suspect that Bob says that kind of stuff to everyone. It wasn't because they are special.

Cavendish leaves the building right into the cool October night. The only thing left on his mind is to go home and sleep.

On his way back to the car, he starts to feel woozy and a strange numb feeling begins to spread across his neck. He put his hand up to touch the wound on his neck. Looking at his hand afterwards, there is some blood. Cavendish guessed that some sort of bug, maybe a horsefly, bit him. He's too tired to care, but before driving back home, Cavendish needed a moment to wake himself up. At that moment, he feels too tired to drive. It's not good to drive if you feel like passing out.

After a couple of minutes and a nice slap across the face, Cavendish built up enough energy to drive home. After he did, and after he turned off the car, he fell asleep in the driver seat.

* * *

 In the morning, he woke up in their bed.

"Morning," Dakota greeted.

"Oh, good morning."

"Made some coffee if you want some."

Cavendish looks around. He has no memory of going back into the apartment. He smirks, "Hm, it appears that I have obtained the ability to teleport in my sleep."

Dakota laughed, "I know right? I used to have that power too when I was a kid. I'd fall asleep in the living room and magically appear in my bed in the morning. But I lost it when I became a teenager."

Cavendish chucked, "Thank you, you didn't need to do that."

"Do what? Carry you back to the apartment while you were asleep? Pffff. Don't be silly. Obviously, you teleported."

Cavendish smiles, "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Block actually called not too long ago. We got some stuff to clean up."

"Blast, why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"Because I didn't finish my coffee and I like watching you sleep," Dakota tried to make a joke, but after that left his mouth, it sounded more creepy than he thought it would.

Cavendish rolled his eyes, "How long ago did he call?"

"About ten minutes."

"Alright, get ready."

"No."

"Dakota..." Cavendish warned.

"I'm not done my coffee and you didn't have breakfast. I'm not leaving till you get something in your stomach."

"But Block is expecting us to-"

"Two times," Dakota interrupted.

"Hm?"

"You died from starving to death two different times because you put work before your own health. Eat something."

"Oh......" Cavendish felt weird. Would he actually do that? Starve to death? He knows that sometimes he would skip a meal or two because he's too concentrated on work, but would he do it to the extent of literally starving himself to death? "Okay. We'll leave after you finish your coffee and after I had a meal."

"Good." 

* * *

The rest of the day went okay. They cleaned up the mess and nothing went wrong. They had to clean up some sort of green goo in a field. It was gross but they went through with it. Cavendish felt a bit ill during the whole ordeal. The sun almost seemed brighter than usual and his teeth ached.

They have the next day off. Dakota is really excited about that because Halloween is tomorrow. It seems like at this point, it's the only thing on his mind.

"I don't know. I don't think zombies are in anymore. Were they more popular in the beginning of 2000's or now?" Dakota questioned.

"Does it matter?" Cavendish replied.

"Uh, yeah! I don't want to be the weird old guy that missed the fad. I don't want some kid come up to me and to tell me that zombies are not cool anymore."

"Then don't be a zombie if it's too complicated," Cavendish didn't want to come across as rude, but he isn't really in the mood for this. His head is pounding like a drum.

"Oh wait! I know! Werewolf! Yes! What about you?"

He was going to reply, but Dakota interrupted.

"Oh cool! Vampire!" Dakota pointed to the marks on Cavendish's neck.

"Hm?" Cavendish attempted to look at the wound, but since it's on his neck, he couldn't see it.

"But you're going to need more than just that. Let's go shopping!" Dakota announced.

Cavendish sighed.

Before they left, Cavendish caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He does have two bug bites on his neck that kind of looked like a vampire bite. May as well take advantage of it. Make light of a slightly inconvenience problem. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

* * *

Soon, it is Halloween and Cavendish is in no mood for trick-or-treating. He doesn't feel well. In the morning, he had no appetite. He had to force himself to eat so he could get Dakota off his back. The food almost refused to go down his throat, but with enough determination, he finally got everything down. It was even hard to chew. His mouth felt really soar. Cavendish suspects it's the start of a nasty cold.

"You've been in there long enough! Come out! Show me your costume!" Dakota ordered.

Cavendish sighed. He's going to go through with it, even if he felt sick. He did not want to see the disappointed look that would come his way if he told his partner that he didn't want to go out for Halloween. "Just a moment!" he replied. He picks up some makeup that they got the other day. It's meant to make his skin look pale, but his skin already looked really pale. He decided to still put it on.

Cavendish admired himself in the mirror.

"Come ooooon! Those candies aren't gonna magically appear in our bags, we got to go out there and get 'em!"

"Alright, I'm ready," Cavendish walked out the bathroom and presented himself to Dakota.

"Awesome!!!" Dakota shouted, "You look so cool! You were totally born for this role!"

Cavendish rolled his eyes. He had to admit it. His costume really does suit him. More than the giraffe. He has a classic vampire costume on. Cape and even a nice bowtie. The suit he's wearing has a black, white, and red colour scheme. Dakota has his white t-shirt on with fake exaggerated chest hair, dog ears that pointed up, a tail, and fake canine teeth.

Without missing a beat, Dakota handed Cavendish a plastic pumpkin for his candy and ran out the door. "Woooo! We're going out to-night, we're going out to-night, and then we're gonna get some caaandyyy!" he sang to himself.

Cavendish soon followed behind.

At first, the night went well. They got some candy and Dakota is having a blast!

But thirty minutes in, Cavendish's jaw became so sore that he had a hard time closing it. Which, resulted in him unintentionally letting his mouth hang open.

"Okay sherioushly," Dakota spat out his fake canine teeth, "How are you stopping yours from falling out? I know you're supposed to put it in hot water before putting them on, which I did, and it kind of stayed there for a bit, but now it won't stop falling out."

Cavendish touched his fangs with his tongue. He didn't remember putting them on. "I'm not sure."

"Ah whatever," Dakota put his fake teeth in his pocket. "So, there's still like eight more houses till the end of this street. Then we can move onto Maple Drive."

Dakota continued going on a lecture about their trick-or-treat route while looking away from Cavendish. But the longer he talks, the more distracted Cavendish got. First, he couldn't stop looking at Dakota's neck. Then, he felt drawn to it. And before he knew it, he lost control of what he's doing. He approached Dakota from behind and leaned over his partner's shoulder.

"But after that, it'll probably be too late to do any more trick-or-treating," When Dakota finished his lecture, he turned around to face Cavendish.

That caused Cavendish to pull back and snap out of whatever was happening.

"What do you think? Or maybe we should skip the last batch of houses to go to the pumpkin walk. I head there's people giving out candy over there too."

"Uh...?" Cavendish felt dizzy.

"Ew, dude, you're drooling," Dakota pointed at Cavendish's mouth.

"Huh?" That's when Cavendish realized that he is, in fact, drooling. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth.

"If those teeth are making it hard for you to close your mouth, just take them out, it's not worth it."

"No, it's just," Cavendish put his hand on his forehead, "Ugh."

Dakota's smile quickly went away and is replaced with concern, "Are you feeling okay?"

"Only a headache, nothing serious."

"Okay... When was the last time you ate?"

He sighed, "Dakota..."

"The only thing I saw you eat was breakfast, just..." Dakota dug through his plastic pumpkin and pulled out a chocolate bar, "Here, at least have some candy."

"Uck," Cavendish raised his hand, "No thank you."

"Okay..." Dakota puts the chocolate bar back into his pumpkin. He shakes his head, "We're wasting time, come on, eight more houses and we're moving onto a different neighbourhood."

Cavendish nodded.

They continued their path and, of course, occasionally getting strange looks from people who answers the door. After all, a lot of people think that Halloween is just for kids. But, some play along because they really liked their costumes.

"Are you a dog?" a random kid, that answered the door, asked Dakota.

"No, I'm a werewolf, rawr!" Dakota replied.

"Aren't you too old to be trick-or-treating?"

Dakota frowned, "Just give us candy."

"I mean, I'm twelve, and I stopped trick-or-treating last year."

"Good for you, candy goes into the pumpkin," Dakota pointed at his plastic pumpkin.

"You're an adult begging for candy, that pathetic."

"I'm not sure you know how this works. I knocked on your door, I'm wearing a costume, you have candy, you give me the candy, then I leave," Dakota explains.

The kid frowns, he reachs into his bowl of candy and grabs a handful. He hovered his hand over Dakota's pumpkin, but then he turned over to Cavendish and dropped the candy into his pumpkin.

"Hey, he gets candy but not me?"

"At least his costume looks cool. Happy Halloween." Then, the kid slammed the door.

Dakota pouted, "Aw."

Cavendish looked down at his candy, "I can give you some of mine if you want."

"Nah, he's right, your costume is so much cooler than mine. You deserve it." Dakota glances around, "Okay, this is the last house in this neighbourhood. We're moving onto Maple Drive!"

At this point, Cavendish is feeling weak, "Can we sit down for a bit?"

"Gettin' tired?"

Cavendish nodded.

"Alright."

There wasn't really a place to sit so they walked to the sidewalk and sat at the edge of it.

"Perfect time for some snackage," Dakota smiled and dug into his stash of candy.

When Dakota's distracted, that's when Cavendish had a good view of his neck again. And like last time, he had an unexplainable fascination with it. He leaned over and hovered his mouth near it.

"Ew, who gives out candy with raisins in it?" He lifted his head up and that's when he saw Cavendish approaching him from the corner of his eye. He quickly moved away, "Woah! What are you doing?"

Cavendish snapped out of it again, "Huh?"

Dakota reached over to rub his neck, "Dude, were you tryin' to bite my neck? That's weird. Well, you are a vampire, so I guess it's not that weird. But don't do that."

Cavendish wasn't sure what just happened, "Okay...?"

Dakota opens up a piece of candy and tosses it into his mouth, "Are you feeling better?"

Cavendish pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. All he wants to do is to go home but... "Yes, I'm feeling better."

"Alright!" Dakota jumped up, "Maple Drive is a bit of a walk, but I heard there's this one house that always gives out good candy"

Cavendish slowly get up and right away felt lightheaded. He had to push himself to keep up with Dakota. 

* * *

"Woah, weird big machine," Dakota looked at a yellow house that has a huge machine in front of it, "Let's go check it out."

Cavendish followed him to the house, there's a kid with red hair dressed as a pirate and another kid with green hair is dressed as a wizard. He's sure they've already seen these kids before.

"Oh, we've got a werewolf and a vampire!" The kid with the red hair announced, "Step right up!" he pointed at the machine.

"Oookaydoky," Dakota did as he's told, "What does this thing to?"

"It reads your mind and gives you exactly the type of candy you want. Just put your pumpkin under the tube and stand still."

"Haha, cool, okay, I'll play along," again, he did as he's told.

The kid pressed the button next to him and the machine generates a beam of green light that scans Dakota. Soon after, a special chocolate bar falls into his pumpkin.

Dakota quickly inspects it. It's a chocolate bar with pop rocks in it, "No way! I hadn't had one of these since I was a kid! Thank you! Hey Cav! Get over here, it's your turn."

Cavendish took Dakota's place and did the same thing that he did. The red-haired kid pressed the button and it scanned him. Soon after, Cavendish got startled when a kid fell on top of his pumpkin. He manages to react fast enough to not drop both the pumpkin and the kid.

"Baljeet?" The red-headed kid said in surprise.

"Oh hello!" The kid greeted with an Indian accent. He's dressed up as an alien.

"How did you get into the machine?"

"While I was restocking the chips, the claw must have picked me up instead of the chips by mistake. Luckily, I grabbed a bag before it took me away. Here!" The kid who's apparently named Baljeet handed Cavendish the chips. But he is still holding the pumpkin and the kid. "Oh, haha, sorry," Baljeet jumped onto the ground and then puts the bag into the pumpkin, "There you go!"

Honestly, Cavendish is not really a chips type of guy but to entertain the children, he played along. "Thank you! You children are so clever. I could have never created a machine like this at your age."

"Have a happy Halloween! Who's next?" The red-head kid looked around. There's a bunch of other kids raising their hands and saying 'me!'.

"Those kids have a great imagination. It looked like they're having a lot of fun," Dakota commented.

Cavendish nodded, "Yes, they probably have a bright future if they're coming up with things like that at their age."

"Yeah," Dakota smiled.

They went for more houses but at this point, Cavendish is having a really hard time focusing. Sometimes his vision got blurry and other times he'd completely black out for a second. But he kept going. He kept going for Dakota.

They took another break when they finished that neighbourhood. This time they sat on a bench and watched the kids go by. After a couple of minutes, they got up again.

"I think we should go to the pumpkin walk, we might not get as much candy there, but I think it'll be more fun." In the corner of his eye, he saw a figure leaning over his shoulder. He got annoyed and swung his plastic pumpkin over his shoulder hitting Cavendish right in the face.

"Gak!" Cavendish pulled away and covered his face.

"Dude, I know you're trying to be in character and all, but stop trying to bite me, it's weeeeeird."

Cavendish simply hissed at him.

Dakota couldn't help but smirk at that. It seems like Cavendish is getting more into the spirit of Halloween, "Let's go vampire boy. I'm sure there's a bunch of _fresh blood_ at the pumpkin walk," Dakota nudged Cavendish with his elbow.

Cavendish swung up his cape to cover the lower half of his face. Then he starts walking in a quick pace towards the pumpkin walk.

Dakota chuckled, "Hey! Wait up!"

This time, Dakota is having a hard time keeping up with Cavendish. Once he even had to grab onto his cape to make sure he didn't get hit by a car.

It didn't take long until they got to their destination.

"This place is kind of cool. Cav, check out these pumpkins!" Dakota pointed at some carved pumpkin. They have really cool designs on them. It looks like they were carved by an expert.

But Cavendish didn't listen, he kept looking around at everyone else.

"Cav," Dakota tried to get his attention.

It didn't work.

"What are you looking at?" Dakota looks around to see what caught Cavendish's attention. Quickly, he spots Milo, "Aw cool! Murphy's here! Let's go say hi," Dakota grabbed Cavendish wrist and pulled him towards Milo. "Hey Milo!" he called out.

"Oh hey guys!" Milo greeted, he's dressed up as a zombie.

"Cool costume!" Dakota complimented, "I thought about goin' as a zombie but I went for werewolf instead."

"Thanks! You guys have cool costumes too!"

"Thank you! Where are your friends?" Dakota asked.

"They're around. Zack's a skeleton and Melissa is a secret agent."

"Nice! We'll keep an eye out for them, right Cav? Cav?" While he was talking to Milo, Cavendish wondered off. It didn't take long to spot him. Apparently, he found Zack and Melissa, "Oh, he found them."

Both Milo and Dakota walks over to them. When they got closer, it looks like Melissa is giving Cavendish karate chops and Cavendish is hissing at her.

"Melissa!" Milo scolds, "Leave Cavendish alone."

"I'm just doin' my job," Melissa said in a deep, dramatic voice.

"Yeah!" Zack shouted, "He tried to bite me!"

Dakota frowned, "Bad vampire," he wiggled his index finger at Cavendish in disappointment, "Don't bite kids, that's not nice."

Cavendish growled.

"Don't growl at me!"

Cavendish quickly did a 180 degree turn and walks the other direction.

"Where do you think you're going? Cavendish!" He turns to face the kids, "Sorry 'bout that. I better make sure he doesn't try to bite anyone else, see you kids around, mkay?"

The kids said goodbye and Dakota went after Cavendish, but he quickly lost track of him.

"Cavvvv," he called out. "Ugh, where did he go?" He felt his pocket vibrate. He reached down to grab his communicator. Answering it, Bob appeared on the screen, "Hey."

"Hello there Vinnie! Great to see you again."

Dakota continued to look around to see if he can find Cavendish, "Uh, what's up?"

"Listen, usually I give you guys clean up duty, but we're sort of having a problem."

"Okay? What's wrong."

"There's a bit of a... Vampire epidemic going on in Danville right now," Bob reveals.

Dakota looks down at his communicator, "Vampire epidemic?"

"Yes... One of our vampires somehow escaped and he's been infecting people."

"What?" Dakota replied in disbelief.

"We're trying our best to solve the problem as fast as we can but we recently became aware of the problem and since it's Halloween, it's much harder to find the vampire and the people he's infected. That's why I'm calling you guys. We need as many people on the case as possible. Here's a picture of the vampire." Bob was replaced with a picture of a goth looking guy with long, black hair. "But don't worry about him. If you do find him, call us. He is out of your department. I'm assigning you guys with finding recently bitten victims and informing us about it."

"How can we tell who got bit?"

Bob got visibly annoyed but kept a smile, "It's really easy, yes, recently bitten victims don't show any effects, but you can tell they got infected because there's a bite mark on their neck. If it's been over a day or two, they'll slowly act more like a stereotypical vampire. Those are more dangerous. We are asking you two to help because, it's Halloween and a lot of people are going around pretending and acting like vampires. That's making things more complicated. I repeat, I'm only assigning you two to find recently bit victims, keep an eye on them, then call us. Don't intervene unless completely necessary, got it?"

"Yup."

"That's great, good luck!" Then Bob hung up.

"Uh oh..." Dakota facepalmed himself, "Balthazar!" He called out.

Dakota hears a scream in the distance.

"Oh nononono," Dakota runs towards the scream only to find a woman dressed as a cat hitting Cavendish with her purse. "Hey! Okay, that's enough."

The woman stopped, "He tried to assault me!"

Dakota got in between the two of them, "Don't worry, I'll try to keep him on a tighter leash."

"You better! Old creep!" The women turned around and stormed away.

Dakota faced Cavendish, "We have to go to work, Bob wants to see ya."

Cavendish hissed and ran off.

"Ugh! Cavendish!" Dakota runs after him. He tried to catch up to him but then Cavendish turned into a bat and flies away. "Wow... Okay..." He looks around and sees a kid dressed up as a bug catcher. He swips the kid's net.

"Hey!"

"Here kid," Dakota handed the kid his plastic pumpkin full of candy.

"Oh cool! Thanks!"

Dakota charges in the directing he thought Cavendish went, but he wasn't sure. Now that the sky is dark, finding a bat in the night sky was like trying to find a white rabbit in a snowstorm. "Cavendish! Looky over here! I am a walking bag of bloooood!" Of course, that didn't work.

He caught a break when he saw Cavendish near one of the teachers from the school.

"Ah, I like your outfit. Vere did you get that cape?" A man with an thick eastern European accent asked.

"Careful! He's a real vampire!" Dakota warned.

"I am not a vampire," Drako denied.

"No, I'm talking about, oh never mind." Dakota quickly got in between them and grabbed onto Cavendish's wrist. "Let's go!"

They covered a good about of distance before Cavendish got fed up. He turns into a bat again to get away, but this time, Dakota quickly catches him in his net.

"Ah, ah, ah. You're not going anywhere."

Since he caught Cavendish in his net, he got a better look at the bat version of his partner. He has a tiny moustache and he still has his glasses on.

"Okay, I have to admit, you look really adorable right now, but I gotta take you with me." Dakota trapped him in the net and starts walking towards the P.I.G.'s organization. "So, you had that mark yesterday, but you weren't going all blood crazy. Bob did stay it takes a day or two."

Cavendish lays in the net for a bit before he got an idea. He starts chewing the net and since it's a really cheap net, he got out.

"Huh?" He looks at the net that suddenly felt lighter. Now there's no Cavendish and a hole, "Cavendish!"

Instead of flying away, Cavendish turned back into a human and tackled Dakota to the ground.

"Woah!" Reacting as fast as he can, he had to use all his strength to push Cavendish away from his neck. However, Cavendish is stronger than him. Thinking fast, he kneed him in the stomach, which, caused Cavendish to flinch. Dakota pushes him off of him. "Okay Balthazar, I don't want to hurt you, I just want to help you."

Cavendish watched him. His mouth hung low and his eyes are cat-like.

Then, Dakota had a thought. Cavendish is probably hungry. Maybe if he 'feeds' him, he can at least calm him down enough for him to cooperate. That is risky, but he didn't have any other way of catching Cavendish. And if he does let Cavendish run free for any longer, he might hurt a random person or disappear. "Fine, have it your way." Dakota lowers his defense and exposes his neck, "Go ahead, do your thing, just don't take too much."

Cavendish was cautious at first. It took him a moment before he decides to accept the free meal. He lunges himself at Dakota and slams Dakota to the ground. Pinning him down so that he can't move.

He bites his neck.

Dakota flinched at the pain. He could feel Cavendish's fangs digging right into his neck. Some time went by before Cavendish loosen his grip on him. Instead of holding him down, he moved his arms to wrap around Dakota's head.

When Cavendish started being less aggressive, it made Dakota uncomfortable. He became way more uncomfortable when he heard Cavendish moan. "Ew, don't do that! This is already weird. Don't make it worse." He looks around hoping that no one is looking. At this point, he's starting to feel weak and flustered.

Cavendish moved back and licked the wound before lifting his head away from Dakota's neck.

"Uck, did you have to do that?" Dakota wiped his wound with his hand. "Ah whatever, at least you're done," Dakota took long breathe of air. He still feels weird because Cavendish is still hovering above him. Cavendish bent down to lick Dakota's wound again. Dakota gasped, "Cav!" He's feeling light-headed and because of the blood loss, he can feel his heart pounding hard in his chest. "Mmhhh!" He gripped onto the grass under him. He's having so many mix emotions right now.

Cavendish stopped and lifted his head back up. He hesitated before his eyes widened. "Dakota?!" He pushed himself away from Dakota. "What is happening?"

"Good, it worked," Dakota said in a weak voice.

"Dakota, are you okay? What happened?"

"You're a vampire and we need to go to P.I.G."

"Hm? What does me being dressed as a vampire have anything to do with what is happening right now?"

"Noooooo, you're a real vampire."

"I am?" He looked down at his outfit.

"Dude, you drank my blood. It was the only way to calm you down."

Seeing the bite mark on Dakota's neck, Cavendish backed further away from Dakota, "Ah! Oh my goodness!" That's when Cavendish noticed a metallic taste in his mouth.

"Don't worry about it," Dakota tried to sit up but immediately felt like passing out so he laid back down.

"How is this possible?"

"Apparently P.I.G.'s got some vampires and one of them got out."

Cavendish rubs his bite mark on his neck, "Does this mean I'll be a vampire forever?"

"Nah man. At least I don't think so?"

Looking at Dakota just filled his stomach with guilt, "You don't look well, are you sure you're okay?"

"I just need a second," Dakota sits up. He quickly put his hand to his forehead to soothe his headache. "Ooof..."

Cavendish attempted to comfort Dakota. Though, because he's Cavendish, he wasn't sure what to do. Which resulted in him sitting next to Vinnie and petting his head. Luckily for him, his awkwardness made Dakota chuckled.

"Haha, get over here," Dakota gave Cavendish a quick side hug before pulling away, "I'm feeling better now, we should really go find Bob before you go all blood-thirsty again. I'm not sure I can spare any more human juice for you."

"Uck, don't call it human juice."

"If you think about it, blood is human juice."

Cavendish stuck his tongue out, "Blah, stop."

"Human juice."

"Okay, we are done here," Cavendish got up and grabbed the back of Dakota's shirt to help him up. It was really easy to lift Dakota up. Way easier than normal. "Good heavens! Are you sure you're feeling alright? You're really light."

"I'm fine, I think you got superhuman strength, because, you know, vampire."

"Oh," Cavendish glances at his hands.

Dakota lightens up, "OH! OH! Turn into a bat! You looked so cute! You can have a free ride on my head!"

"I turned into a bat? How?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, you're a vampire. Vampires can turn into bats."

Cavendish stroked his chin, "I'm not sure how I did that."

"Come on! Concentrate! Think like a bat,"

"No." Balthazar walks off towards their apartment so that they could take their car to get to the P.I.G.'s building.

"Hey! Wait up!"

On their way home, they occasionally took breaks for Dakota to regain his strength. When they reached their apartment, they got into the car. Cavendish drove them to their job. They entered the building and everyone there is alert and in panic mode. Cavendish had to cover his mouth and nose with his cape because there's a scent that is so powerful it's giving him have some sort of allergic reaction. It didn't take long before he realized that some people are passing around garlic and wore some around their neck.

They enter Bob's office without knocking. "Hey," Dakota greeted.

"Ah! There you guys are! Nice costumes! Were you two at a costume party? Sorry to drag you out of there but we need all the help we can get, did you find some recently bit victims?" Bob asked.

"Actually, turns out Cav," he pointed at him, "Got bit and he's a vampire."

Block's smile went away. He quickly readjusted himself and puts on a smile again but it looked more like an annoyed smile, "Of course he did. How long ago?" Bob inspected Cavendish.

"Yesterday."

"Actually," Cavendish spoke up, "I believe it was two days ago after we dropped off the paperwork."

"Two days? What? Errrr.... Ho-how are you feeling?" Bob asked.

"I'm feeling fine."

Bob gave him a look of disbelief, "You don't crave blood?"

"Oh. He did, but I gave him some of mine," Dakota explained and pointed at his bite mark.

Bob's shoulders dropped and he covered his face with his hands, "Oh no. Happy thoughts," Bob exhaled, "How long ago?"

"Uh, like maybe thirty minutes? What's wrong?"

"The effects of vampirism can be reversed up until the infected person gets a taste of human blood. An hour later, there is no way to reverse it. If it has only been thirty minutes, there's still hope."

Cavendish and Dakota looks at each other, "Whoops..."

"It's okay, we can still help you two. The only thing is, one of you will be in way more pain than the other."

Cavendish got the hint, "Ohhh..."

Bob walked over to his desk at pressed a button on it. Soon, two bodyguards entered the room. "This isn't your fault." Bob addressed this to Dakota, "It's mine. I should have known you two didn't have enough knowledge about vampirism to take on this case. Though, I did tell you to call us if you did find a vampire, which, you clearly disobeyed, but it's okay. It's my fault for putting too much faith in you two. After all, you haven't been educated on how to deal with these types of situations," he looks at the bodyguard, "Take the older man to the cellar, he's almost full vampire. Take the other to the health clinic for a vaccine against vampirism."

The bodyguards did as they were told. They escorted both of them in the halls.

"Cellar?" Cavendish repeated in shock.

"Hey! Don't touch him!" Dakota growled.

The end of the hallway splits into two different directions. When they reached it, both were lead to different paths. They are being separated. "Vinnie!"

Dakota tries to look over the bodyguard's shoulder, "Don't worry Balthazar, it's going to be okay!"

And soon, Cavendish is out of sight.

* * *

Dakota went to the health clinic and got a vaccine against vampizem and as soon as they were done with him, his new mission is to go see what happened to Cavendish. He didn't even know that B.O.T.T. had a cellar so he didn't know where to go. In fact, there's a lot he doesn't know about P.I.G. He didn't know they had a vampire, but they are Paranormal Investigation Group, so it shouldn't be that surprising.

Dakota kind of just wondered around until someone came up to him and told him Cavendish is in the recovering room.

Dakota cautiously walking into the room. Cavendish is laying on the bed. "Heyyyy, how ya feeling?"

"Like I've been gutted alive," Cavendish weakly replied.

Dakota walks up to the bed, "What did they do to you?"

"They strapped me to a board and pumped my stomach..."

"Ouch."

"Trust me, it is not pleasant to get a tube shoved down your throat. After that, they gave me a double dose of the vaccine." Cavendish paused for a moment, "They told me I should be vampire-free now."

"That's good. Don't worry, Dakota's here, at your service until you feel better."

Cavendish let out a chuckle, "Thank you." Cavendish looks at Dakota and noticed something very important, "Where's the Halloween candy?"

"Oh that..." Dakota rubbed the back of his head. "We both kinda lost them during the whole vampire thing. I don't know when you lost yours."

"Oh no... I ruined Halloween..."

"Cav..."

"I did! You were so excited..."

Dakota shrugged, "Then I guess we're even. I kinda messed up last Halloween with the whole time grenade thing."

Cavendish sighed, "Two Halloween in a row were we worked hard for candy and didn't get to bring any home."

"It's okay. It's not about the candy, it's about the journey. Besides... We're adults. We can always buy candy on special after Halloween." Dakota nudged and winked at Cavendish.

"Ha... Isn't that cheating?"

"Meh," Dakota shrugged, "Candy is candy."

"Ugh," Cavendish rubs his forehead.

"What was it like... Being a vampire?"

"It's all a blur now."

Dakota saw a towel nearby. He takes it and pours cold water onto it from the sink in the room. "Maybe that's for the best." He soaked it with water before wringing it out. He brought it to his partner, "Here."

Cavendish moves his hand away from his forehead and lets Dakota put the cold towel on him, "Thank you."

"No probs, like I said, I'm at your service!"

Cavendish looks away, "Did... Did I hurt anyone?"

"Nahhh, you're good."

Cavendish glances back at him, "Your neck... Did... Did I do that?"

"Yeah... But I'm okay! You didn't bite anyone else!"

"I'm so sorry."

Dakota leans against the bed and held Cavendish's hand, "You don't need to be. I'm just glad that you're still alive."

Cavendish smiled but his smile soon went away, "I'm so tired."

Dakota lets go of his hand, "Get some rest then. If you need me, I'm not going anywhere without you."

They spent the rest of Halloween at P.I.G. Cavendish insisted that Dakota should go home to get some proper sleep but Dakota refused. They spent the night there. In the morning, Cavendish is feeling much better. Bob told them to go home and take the day off.

During the night before, P.I.G. agents managed to catch the vampire that escaped and rounded up everyone who got bit. To cover up the whole situation, they claimed that they were giving them rabies shots since they were bitten by a bat. None of them even suspected that they actually got bit by a vampire.

P.I.G. somehow covered up whole the vampire outbreak.


End file.
